I’ll never forget the flood of dislocating emotions and questions that raced through my mind when Dr. Bad Bedside Manner said to me, “Adam – You need heart valve surgery. \u00a0And, you need it soon.” I felt confused. \u00a0I felt alone. \u00a0And, I felt afraid. \u00a0Specific to the fear, I distinctly remember thinking, “What are the chances I might die during this incredibly complex surgery?” and “Is it heart surgery safe?” and “Is it worth the risk?”<\/p>\n
I was reminded of these questions when Betty recently asked me, “What are the percentages of people who die after aortic valve replacement?” \u00a0To answer Betty’s question, I was very fortunate to interview Dr. Patrick McCarthy<\/a>, who is the Executive Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine. \u00a0During his career, Dr. McCarthy has performed over 10,000 cardiac procedures of which more than 5,000 involved heart valve procedures. Here’s what Dr. McCarthy shared with me:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n