About Dr. Tyler Gunn,
Heart Valve Surgeon

"Life had become difficult before Dr. Gunn performed my valve surgery. A prosthetic aortic valve replacement from five years prior had become infected. Fevers and chills shook my body, and I spent New Year’s Eve sick in bed. A thickening and narrowing of my infected aortic valve called aortic stenosis was just one of several culprits. With my heart unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood into the rest of my body, I was going into heart failure, causing an unending cough. It felt as if my lungs were on fire, and I couldn’t walk without the feeling that my chest caving in. Climbing a flight of stairs had become impossible without rest stops. My situation was dire, and I made the decision to check into the emergency room at Cedars. It was here that I had the good fortune of being assigned to the care of Dr. Gunn.

Dr. Gunn’s presence was reassuring from the beginning. Gently charismatic, he projects an aura of calm and confidence that comforts patients. He immediately won my family’s trust as he explained complicated medical issues in simple terms. Always matter of fact, he was very thorough in explaining how he and everyone on the care team was going to help me to confront my diagnosis and make progress towards the better life I so desperately wanted.

When I entered the emergency room on March 3, I was told that I could not leave the hospital without surgery. After a thorough assessment of my medical situation, surgery was scheduled for March 8. My symptoms were serious, and the causes explained why. Vegetative growths on the infected aortic valve were hampering its function, causing the infection to be released into my bloodstream, enabling it to spread everywhere. And a piece of one of the vegetative growths had broken off into my blood stream and become lodged in my brain, causing a .77 mm enlargement of the blood vessel called a mycotic aneurysm. Fortunately, it didn’t require a brain surgery.

The infection was not only on the valve leaflets, but also around the valve, which caused a pus-filled sack called an abscess to form. Called an aortic root abscess because of its location, Dr. Gunn and his team had to take great care in how to address it, as it was in such a sensitive place.

When surgery was performed, dense scar tissue was found inside the pericardial sack that surrounds the heart, forcing surgeons to cut through it to access my heart. Thick scar tissue was also found in the ascending aortic arch, which is the major vessel curving off the top of the heart routing oxygenated blood throughout my entire body. After inspecting the chambers of my heart and mitral valve, they sutured in a new prosthetic aortic valve to restore the normal flow of oxygenated blood throughout my body.

When I awoke from surgery, the discomfort I was anticipating from the tubes in my chest and throat did nothing to dampen my confidence in the process. Having had aortic valve replacement surgery previously in 2019, I knew what to expect and I knew that the tubes and their short-term discomfort were completely normal. On day two following surgery, I was already up and walking around. And within three days after surgery, when the last tube was removed, I was a free man and was able to move around even more.

Every day while I was in the hospital, Dr. Gunn and his surgical team checked on me and inspected my incisions. And the Cedars nursing staff offered non-stop excellence in their care for me and my family. The constant attention from Dr. Gunn, his fellow doctors, and all the nurses was an ongoing source of comfort as I recovered. And then, on the fifth day following surgery, I was sent home. Recovery exercises were assigned to me to help get me back into shape.

Even though I had been sent home, Dr. Gunn’s care continued. On March 22, I returned for a routine post-operative follow up. I happily told Dr. Gunn that I felt great, and he told me that my incisions were healing well. However, while at this appointment, Dr. Gunn noticed that I had an abnormal heart rate called a junctional heart rhythm. Dr. Gunn asked me to report to the ER for an immediate EKG. The cardiologist determined that my beta-blocker, Lopressor, was causing my slow heart rate. I was released home with a heart monitor for 14 days, and it was discovered that my heart rate returned to normal as soon as I stopped taking the Lopressor.

On March 31, I retired after twenty years of service with the United States Marine Corps. As a career Marine, I can easily state that my heart valve problems have ranked among the greatest challenges I have ever faced. But now, just under a month since surgery, I am already back to walking from 50 minutes to an hour each day, and I just completed my first four-mile walk since surgery! As I look back at my ordeal, I marvel at how Dr. Gunn and his team conducted an impressive and thorough display of knowledge and skill by identifying and repairing every part of my heart and aorta that had been damaged by the infection. He even identified an irregular heart rhythm after surgery for which I had no symptoms. I realize that not every surgeon or care team is capable of the kind of detailed and thorough treatment offered by Dr. Gunn. Yet, throughout all his amazing medical knowledge, it was so often the human touch displayed by Dr. Gunn and his care team that helped my family the most. I also must give a shout out to Dr. Kirk, the infectious disease doctor that worked so closely with Dr. Gunn in weighing my surgical options. My circumstances were highly emotional. Yet, the interaction between Dr. Gunn and his team was so professional and smooth that it was a constant source of comfort. I would not have wanted to go through my ordeal without them. Their professionalism created a bedside environment that constantly steadied me and my family’s nerves. I salute Dr. Gunn and his team and give them a 10 out of 10!"

-- Andrew Perez-Jennings, Aortic Valve, Valve Replacement, Reoperation, 03/08/2024