About Dr. Stephen Nageotte,
Interventional Cardiologist

"My dream is to play big league baseball. And being born with a heart defect doesn't have to stop me. I was only four months old when I was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and had major heart valve surgery at Cedars. By the eighth-grade, I was being followed at CHLA by my cardiologist, Dr. Keith Weiner.

When I hadn't had a stress test for 5 or 6 years, Dr. Weiner suggested I get one. Surprisingly, my heart wouldn't relax after activity during the test. While my numbers weren't immediate red flags, I didn't want to wait three years for surgery when I would be playing major league baseball. Dr. Weiner decided I needed a new pulmonary valve, and recommended Dr. Stephen Nageotte, whom he said is well known and highly regarded.

Dr. Nageotte is great to talk to. He understands baseball from both the medical and athletic sides. He understands that a pitcher needs his chest muscles for both throwing and hitting. So, avoiding a chest cut and having a minimally invasive, transcatheter valve implant could save at least one crucial season of playing. Dr. Nageotte answered all my questions and made me feel comfortable.

On the day of my procedure, he made my parents feel comfortable, too. Coming out of the procedure, I felt great. It was easy to stand up within a few hours and I was going home the next day. Although I hadn't noticed symptoms before the procedure, I was immediately able to take deeper breaths. Soon, I was right back to playing collegiate sports. Since I'm one in twenty kids to have heart problems in sports, I've started seeing Dr. Eli Freidman at Cedars, the sports cardiologist supporting the LA Rams, LA Galaxy, and the Olympic athletes.

But when it comes to heart procedures and surgeries, I recommend Dr. Nageotte, for sure! I'm on the pitching roster at Cypress College where I'm moving my dream to the next level. Dr. Nageotte's ability to repair my pulmonary valve without open surgery is my dream saver. Dr. Nageotte focuses on minimally invasive heart valve repair so I can focus on smoking fastballs past hitters.

Thanks to Dr. Nageotte, the next story I write will be about my baseball dreams coming true."

"Born with Tetralogy of Fallot, I had my heart repaired and my dysfunctional pulmonary valve removed when I was seven years old after I was adopted from S. Korea. I grew up knowing that I would have to keep a lifelong watch over my heart and would eventually need additional heart surgery to address the missing pulmonary valve.

I have been physically active and athletic my entire life in competitive sports such as soccer, snowboarding, road cycling, boxing and martial arts. I completed yearly cardiac stress testing and always felt like I had good endurance.

At age 48, I decided it was time to find a specialist to determine the true status of my heart health. Searching through the Internet, I came across the website for Dr. Rose Tompkins, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai specializing in Congenital Heart Defects. I was so impressed with what I was reading about Dr. Tompkins, that I changed my insurance to be able to see her. When I met with Dr. Tompkins, I told her that I was not symptomatic, but that I wanted to be extra safe. And so, Dr. Tompkins ran the full battery of tests on me including EKG's, an MRI, and a stress test. The results were clear: Dr. Tompkins said that I was past the threshold for needing surgical intervention, and the time to replace the pulmonary valve was now.

Dr. Tompkins explained that it was better to do the procedure while my health was stable verses waiting until I was symptomatic at 50 or 60 years old. But what really won me over was when Dr. Tompkins said that my heart had been working overtime for the past 41 years, and that if I fixed my heart now, there would be a surge in my oxygenated blood leading to higher energy levels and more endurance. As an athlete regularly exercising at the gym, the thought of having more energy from a new heart valve was great news.

I was not looking forward to having open-heart surgery and was anxious about the long recovery and physical discomfort. It was then that Dr. Tompkins told me I was eligible for a transcatheter valve insertion. That meant that a new valve could be slid into place by simply using a catheter through my groin. I agreed and scheduled the procedure. Five weeks later I returned for my transcatheter valve surgery.

My Interventional Cardiologist, Dr. Nageotte, spoke to me prior to the procedure and I felt confident that I was in good hands. He answered all my questions and won over my confidence completely. I walked in at 7 am on a Friday and walked out of the hospital at 3 pm the next day.

After my surgery Dr. Nageotte followed up with me several times to check on my recovery and the healing status of the small entrance wound. Dr. Nageotte was constantly supportive and professional. I recommend him 100% and give him a 10 out of 10.

I had a follow up appointment with Dr. Tompkins, a month after surgery and a cardiac ultrasound revealed that my pulmonary valve is working perfectly.

I am back at the gym lifting weights and riding my bike and I am feeling great. I really can feel the difference in my breathing and endurance. So that leaves just one final test for the truth telling: later this winter, I'll be snowboarding at 13,000 feet in the Sierras. As good as I feel now, something tells me that I'm going to pass that test with flying colors!"