Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 44

I just received an email from Sharon that rekindled a memory. Sharon writes, “Hi Adam – I was recently diagnosed with severe aortic valve stenosis and I need an aortic valve replacement. Even though I’m 62 and in relatively good shape, I’m worried about making it through. Do you know what the mortality rates and surgery risks are for aortic valve replacement? Thanks, Sharon”

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As I write this, I am flying home to Los Angeles after attending the 2011 Heart Valve Summit. The meeting was beyond exciting as over 500 cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, physician assistants and nurses congregated in Chicago to discuss the treatment of heart valve disease — including heart valve repair and heart valve replacement surgery.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting several educational videos filmed at the Heart Valve Summit. However, I thought you might like to learn more about this special event. That said, I asked Dr. David Adams, the Program Director of the Heart Valve Summit, to describe the significance of this meeting for the patients and the caregivers of our community.

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I just spent some time at Heart Valve Journals, our social network that connects patients, friends and family members. While there, I noticed that Bill, Sherry and Terri were scheduled for surgery during the next 24 hours.

If you would like to learn more about their stories, you can visit their Heart Valve Journals by clicking the links below:

• Sherry Allen
• Bill McAllister
• Terri Grimes

I want to wish Sherry, Bill and Terri a very successful surgery and very smooth recovery.

My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

I just received an interesting question from Joanie. She writes, “Hi Adam – My husband had mitral valve repair surgery three days ago. I noticed that he’s gained 8 pounds since the surgery. The doctors say the gain is due to fluid intake. Is this common? What fluids did they use? How long until he loses the fluid? Thanks, Joanie.”

While I had my thoughts on the topic, I wanted to provide Joanie an expert opinion. That said, I contacted Dr. Larry Cohn, MD, who practices at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. During his 40-year career, Dr. Cohn has performed over 10,000 cardiac procedures.

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As heart valve surgery is a very serious and very complex operation, I encourage all patients to interview and research their potential surgeons. Even with the known risks of heart valve surgery, you want to be 100% confident in your surgeon as you are being rolled into the operating room.

One of the key criteria for surgeon selection is experience. Specific to this point, I just learned a very interesting fact about the average yearly number of mitral valve repair surgeries performed by cardiac surgeons.

Well… What do you think?

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Needless to say, this is a very exciting time in the development of heart valve therapies. In my opinion, this segment of cardiac care just became even more exciting as ValveXchange reported the first-in-man (FIM) implant of its two-part, heart valve replacement system.

“What is a two-part heart valve replacement system?” you might be wondering.

As shown above, the first part of the surgical system is the permanent implant of the Vitality base within the valve.

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It is an honor to shine our surgeon spotlight on Dr. Patrick McCarthy, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

During his 30-year career, which includes training and clinical work at Stanford University, The Mayo Clinic and The Cleveland Clinic, Doctor Patrick McCarthy has performed over 10,000 cardiac procedures including 4,000 operations involving heart valve treatment. Here is a quick video about Dr. McCarthy’s ongoing pursuit of healthy hearts.

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As patients in the United States continue to wait for FDA approval of transcatheter aortic valve replacement devices, another TAVI technology just received a CE mark for commercial use in Europe.

JenaValve TAVI – Aortic Valve Replacement Via Catheter

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Great news everybody!

I am attending the Heart Valve Summit in Chicago. While there, I will have a special opportunity to ask your questions directly to valvular specialists including Dr. Gillinov, Dr. Adams, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Martin, Dr. Bolling, Dr. Accola and more. Their responses will be filmed and posted at this blog.
 

So… If you have a question — about anything related to heart valve disorders, symptoms, surgical approaches or valve replacement devices — please  click the “ASK YOUR QUESTION” button above, email me directly or scroll down to leave a comment. I will do my best to get your questions answered as soon as possible.

Keep on tickin!

Adam

The Internet never ceases to amaze me…

We recently launched a new section of this website that contains our heart valve surgery videos. I just learned that, in a very short time, the number of playbacks has soared to over 19,000 views. If you were unaware of these videos, they feature your questions which are asked directly to leading heart valve surgeons.

Dr. Shemin and Adam Answer Your Questions At STS

While I’m terrible in front of a camera, the information shared through these videos is incredible. Thanks to all the surgeons — including Dr. Adams, Dr. Gillinov, Dr. Cohn, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Gerdisch, Dr. Smith, Dr. Shemin, Dr. Stewart, Dr. Accola, Dr. Khan, Dr. Starnes, Dr. Svensson, etc. — for taking the time to help develop these videos.

• To see our heart valve videos, please click here.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Sato sent me a very interesting question about bicuspid aortic valve repair. He writes, “Hi Adam – I’m 61. I’ve been diagnosed with bicuspid aortic valve and severe regurgitation. I’ve been told a repair is possible. During surgery, does the bicuspid aortic valve become a tricuspid valve?”

While at the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons conference, I was able to ask Sato’s question to Dr. Lars Svensson, MD, the Director of the Aorta Program at The Cleveland Clinic. As you may know, Dr. Svensson, is highly regarded for his work with bicuspid aortic valves.

Thanks to Sato for his question and a special thanks to Dr. Lars Svensson for sharing his clinical research with our community. To learn more about Dr. Svensson and his patients, please click here.

For those of you who are hearing impaired, I have provided a transcript of this interview below…

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As a follow-up to our recent discussion about chest pain and sternum wires, Jane sent me a great question about incision closure techniques. She writes, “Hi Adam – I’ve read good and bad things about the use of wires to close the sternum.  Are there any other technologies used to help the chest heal? Thanks, Jane”

Luckily, I was able to ask this exact question to Dr. Jai Raman, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, Illinois. I thought you might like to see the interview highlights from our discussion about a new technology called sternal plating.

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As Jim, Sara & Chris prepare for heart valve surgery this week, I wanted them to know that my thoughts are with them and their families.

To learn about their stories, please visit their Heart Valve Journals by clicking the links below:

• Jim Davis is having surgery for a bicuspid aortic valve and dilated aortic root
• Sara Sayle is having surgery for a bicuspid aortic valve
• Chris Hanson is having surgery for severe mitral regurgitation

Keep on tickin’ Jim, Sara & Chris!
Adam

As many of you know, I encourage all patients to participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program following heart valve surgery. Research shows that the physical and emotional benefits for patients attending post-operative cardiac rehab classes are significant but often under-utilized.

That said, here is a great update from Dave Hooper. (You might recall that I featured Dave in a prior post following his aortic valve replacement surgery.)

Dave Hooper At Cardiac Rehab

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Time for your heart valve trivia of the day… Here’s the question:

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Great news everybody!

Thanks to your support… Our free online surgeon directory has grown over 100% in the past three months. Right now, we have 1,250+ recommendations provided by former heart valve surgery patients. If you have yet to visit the Heart Valve Surgeon Finder, simply click here.

So you know, our community of patients and caregivers created this tool eighteen months ago to help future patients find trusted surgeons quickly. Again, thanks so much for your help advancing this cause. As we all know, finding the “right” surgeon to perform your surgery is critical. I know there is a lot more work to be done… But, I’m hopeful this tool is easing that process.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Lately, there have been a lot of patient comments and questions posted about pregnancy and heart valve disease. To extend this discussion, I wanted to share with you a fantastic email I just received from Sara Bloomfield. Sara writes to me:

Sara & Matt Bloomfield (Chicago, Illinois)

I have a bicuspid aortic valve, dilated aortic root, and coarctation of the descending aorta. Like many other women with valve conditions that are hoping to have children, pregnancy has been an ongoing topic with my cardiologist throughout my life. The conversation was left open after each visit as it would depend on the state of my heart at the time I was ready to have a baby.  After getting married last year, my husband and I were ready to address this.  Based on the function of my valve and root, I am considered to be in the “grey zone” for pregnancy.

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Jenny just sent me a very interesting question about surgical approaches for heart valve repair. She writes, “Dear Adam – I was just diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation. I have regular degenerative mitral valve prolapse. An annuloplasty valve ring has been recommended as well. I’m thinking of having a mini-sternotomy and wondering what the risks are compared to a full sternotomy? Are there any other approaches that might be advantageous for me? Thanks, Jenny”

Mini-Sternotomy For Heart Valve Surgery

To provide Jenny with an expert opinion, I contacted Dr. Harold Roberts, a leading heart valve surgeon, from WVU Medicine in West Virginia.

Dr. Harold Roberts – Heart Valve Surgeon

So you know, during his 25+ year career, Dr. Roberts has performed over 3,500 heart valve procedures. Here is Dr. Roberts’ response to Jenny’s question:

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A few months ago, I received a phone call from Denise Ring, a patient suffering from severe mitral valve regurgitation. From the moment we spoke, I sensed Denise’s nerves, her anxiety and her fear given prior health challenges. Over the next few weeks, we corresponded by phone and by email leading right up to her surgery. (To learn more about mitral regurgitation, click here.)

Good news! Two weeks after surgery, I received an inspirational voice-mail from Denise. I have to admit, I did not recognize Denise’s voice. Her energy and her positive outlook in the message was overwhelming. As she exclaimed during the message, “I can’t believe it. Surgery went great. I’m starting to feel like the old me.”

Denise Ring – Mitral Valve Repair Patient

I would later receive this email from Denise:

Dear Adam —

I’m feeling fantastic! Dr. Accola performed a mitral valve repair for me only 12 short weeks ago. This amazing surgeon is a truly gifted man. He is not only highly skilled but also sincerely concerned about the well-being of his patients. I was actually caught off guard by his compassion and calm but confident demeanor.

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As many of you know… I’m a technology enthusiast. In fact, I’m often referred to as a “tech geek” by my friends — always playing around with the latest gadgets and software.

Specific to heart valve treatment, my interest in medical technology is similarly high. Today, much of the tech-excitement is centered on transcatheter, sutureless and leaflet exchange technology. However, I’m still fascinated by the utility of robotic devices for procedures including mitral valve repair procedures. (To learn more about mitral valve repair surgery, click here.)

Da Vinci Surgical Robot

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