{"id":3888,"date":"2023-10-03T18:18:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T18:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=3888"},"modified":"2023-10-04T13:27:29","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T13:27:29","slug":"new-diagnosis-top-facts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/new-diagnosis-top-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Valve Surgery: Top 5 Facts for Newly Diagnosed Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The number of Americans with heart valve disease is about 2.5% and rising. In fact, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8689964\/\">prevalence<\/a> of heart valve disease is expected to double by 2040 and triple by 2060.\u00a0 The good news is there are effective treatment options for heart valve disease. With early detection and appropriate medical care, patients experience significant symptom relief and improved quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>Still, a new diagnosis can be overwhelming for patients and their families. The only way to ease worry and fear is by getting the best and most up-to-date information from a specialist with decades of experience. We recently spoke with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Marc-Gerdisch-Indianapolis-Indiana.php\">Dr. Marc Gerdisch<\/a>, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, to discover the &#8220;top 5 facts&#8221; he believes newly diagnosed heart valve patients need to know to help them understand the next steps and what to expect. Fyi, Dr. Gerdisch has performed over 6,000 cardiac procedures including 4,000 heart valve operations.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kTFWPPqToWs?si=gusxqZTGk60unI-7\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Gerdisch understands the intense anxiety and fear patients and families experience during their first meeting with him. That\u2019s why he likes to discuss the top 5 most important facts to know and understand before deciding on treatment options.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Fact 1: What Are The Risks?<\/h2>\n<p>The first thing Dr. Gerdisch talks about is risk. \u201cWe have data that allows us to estimate risk for patients,\u201d Dr. Gerdisch told us. \u201cPatients recognize is that it\u2019s very safe and that we\u2019ve refined techniques to the point where people do very well,\u201d Dr. Gerdisch tells us.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fact 2: How Effective Is Treatment?<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Gerdisch focuses on the efficacy of treatment next. \u201cCan we fix the problem? The truth is, yes,\u201d he said. He believes he can identify exactly how to effectively resolve each problem most patients present with after their initial diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3895 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/..\/Images\/life-expectancy-mitral-valve-surgery-aha.jpg\" alt=\"LIfe Expectancy After Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement\" width=\"650\" height=\"363\" \/>Life Expectancy for Mitral Valve Surgery (AHA Journals)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fact 3: Life Expectancy Insights<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Gerdisch understands how important it is for patients to know whether they can have the life they had planned for and expected. \u201cCertainly, in valve repair, we find out we can generally restore people to nearly normal life,\u201d he told us. \u201cAnd with valve replacement, by choosing the right device, we optimize the likelihood of them living long and well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fact 4: Understanding Enhanced Patient Recovery<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe fourth thing that I talk about because it\u2019s something we do, but also I think all patients should be aware of, is enhanced recovery,\u201d Dr. Gerdisch said. He believes patients must know and understand that the entire process starts even before their procedure and continues during their hospitalization and afterward during enhanced recovery. \u201cThe reduction in pain, the enhanced mobility, the return to full activity, including full mobility, I think, patients need to know about and ask about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is a video describing the Rapid Recovery Protocol 2.0 developed by Dr. Gerdisch and his team at Franciscan Health.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BxDtIONg9Hc?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/BxDtIONg9Hc?rel=0\/0.jpg\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fact 5: Addressing and Treating All The Issues<\/h2>\n<p>The last thing Dr. Gerdisch covers is other disorders in a patient\u2019s heart that they may not even be aware of. \u201cFor example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/atrial-fibrillation\/\">atrial fibrillation<\/a> or a leak in the tricuspid valve when they\u2019re there for a leaking mitral valve, we like to cover all that.\u201d He believes patients should know that all those issues will be addressed and treated during heart valve surgery.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Thanks Dr. Gerdisch and Franciscan Health!<\/h2>\n<p>On behalf of our patient community, many thanks to Dr. Gerdisch for sharing his experience and expertise about the top 5 facts newly diagnosed heart valve patients need to know. We also need to thank the entire Franciscan Health team for caring for ALL our heart valve patients, newly diagnosed and those who have already received treatment!<\/p>\n<p>Related Links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Marc-Gerdisch-Indianapolis-Indiana.php\">See 100+ Patient Reviews for Dr. Marc Gerdisch<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/hospital\/franciscan-health\">Meet the Entire Franciscan Health Heart Valve Center Team<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"cms.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"class_list":["post-3888","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-before-surgery"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3888"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3914,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3888\/revisions\/3914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}