{"id":30220,"date":"2019-08-01T14:41:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T19:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/?p=30220"},"modified":"2025-05-08T16:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T21:51:47","slug":"phil-yalowitz-mitraclip-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2019\/08\/01\/phil-yalowitz-mitraclip-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"Phil Can Breathe Freely Thanks to the MitraClip!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The patient story of Phil Yalowitz is very personal for me.<\/p>\n

A retired urologist, who spent many years practicing at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, Phil is my dad’s cousin.\u00a0 So you know, my dad<\/a> and Phil grew up together on the south side of Chicago and moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to pursue their interest in medicine.\u00a0 Phil and my dad had a special bond.\u00a0 They acted and laughed together like brothers, so I always considered Phil my uncle.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Phil Yalowitz (MitraClip Patient)<\/p>\n

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Over the past 10 years, Phil has struggled with heart disease.\u00a0 Initially, Phil required cardiac surgery to address atrial fibrillation<\/a>.\u00a0 Then, Phil developed severe mitral valve regurgitation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“At night, in bed… I felt like I was suffocating,” Phil shared with me.\u00a0 “It’s been really hard to catch my breath.\u00a0 I knew I needed something done.”<\/p>\n

After a significant amount of research, Phil investigated the possibility of having a MitraClip procedure.\u00a0 As you may know, a MitraClip is unique form of transcatheter mitral valve repair, also known as TMVR.\u00a0 The MitraClip is a non-invasive procedure that requires no trauma to the patient’s sternum or ribs.\u00a0 The “clip” pins the defective mitral valve leaflets together to reduce\u00a0 the regurgitation.<\/p>\n

I’m happy to report that this Tuesday, Phil had a successful, double MitraClip procedure performed by Dr. Steven Burstein<\/a>, an interventional cardiologist at Good Samaritan Hospital associated with Keck Medicine of USC.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Dr. Steven Burstein (Interventional Cardiologist)<\/p>\n

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According to Phil, Dr. Burstein is a MitraClip specialist having performed over 100 MitraClips on an annual basis.\u00a0 “You should look him up,” Phil said to me on the phone yesterday, “Dr. Burstein is a super talented doctor, very kind and very attentive.”<\/p>\n

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How is Phil Doing After the MitraClip?<\/h2>\n

Here’s the great news…\u00a0 Phil is doing incredibly well after his MitraClip procedure!<\/p>\n

The procedure was performed on Tuesday afternoon.\u00a0 On Wednesday morning, Phil was discharged from the hospital.\u00a0 Yes, you read that right!\u00a0 I’m not great at math. But, I think Phil was in the hospital for less than 24 hours!<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the MitraClip procedure, Phil said to me, “I woke up and I could breathe!\u00a0 There was instant relief.\u00a0 I used to feel smothered. Now, I feel like I’m breathing fresh air for the first time in years.\u00a0 The MitraClip is very impressive.\u00a0 Granted, it’s only been a day.\u00a0 But, I’m very optimistic!”<\/p>\n

Phil continued to share that he actually received two MitraClips during the procedure to minimize the mitral regurgitation which was causing blood to leak backwards into his heart.\u00a0 “I understand that up to 4 MitraClips can be placed during a procedure.\u00a0 For my valve, Dr. Burstein needed to only use two MitraClips.\u00a0 It’s quite amazing.\u00a0 Dr. Burstein used real-time echocardiography to evaluate the performance of each clip placed in my heart.”<\/p>\n

To give you some perspective on the size and placement of the MitraClip, here’s a picture to consider:<\/p>\n

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\"\"The MitraClip: Size & Placement in Mitral Valve (Source: Abbott)<\/p>\n

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And… To help you see how the MitraClip procedure works, here is a video animation:<\/p>\n

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