Heart Valve Replacement Blog - Page 2

By Adam Pick

“What Is The Best Heart Valve Replacement For My 16-Year Old Son?” Asks Carole

By Adam Pick on April 4, 2011

Carole recently sent me an interesting email about Ian, her sixteen-year old son who suffers from aortic valve disease.

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Mosaic Porcine Heart Valve Replacement Still Tickin’ 12 Years Later

By Adam Pick on March 5, 2011

In case you missed it, some interesting data was just released about the Mosaic porcine heart valve replacement. According to a report in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the Mosaic bioprosthetic valve — which has been implanted in patients for the past 12 years — continues to demonstrate positive performance.

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STS Video Blog #4: “What About Horse (Equine) Tissue For Heart Valve Replacements?” By Dr. Allan Stewart

By Adam Pick on February 13, 2011

During the 47th annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting last week, I received a great question from Keith about the use of horse (equine) tissue in heart valve replacement devices. Keith wrote to me, “Adam – What can you share about aortic valve replacement surgery using horse tissue?”

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“Why Did My Heart Valve Replacement Go Bad?” Asks Steve

By Adam Pick on November 24, 2010

As a follow-up to our recent discussion about re-operation rates, I just received an interesting question from Steve about tissue valve replacements and the potential reasons for premature failure.

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“What About Horse Valve Replacements?” Asks Joseph

By Adam Pick on October 21, 2010

I just received a very interesting question from Joseph about the different types of tissue heart valve replacements.

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“How Much Do Heart Valve Replacements Cost?” Asks Mike

By Adam Pick on September 20, 2010

I just received a great email from Mike about heart valve replacements. Mike writes, “Adam – I’ve got a severely leaky valve and need mitral surgery. I’m 55 and never knew about my prolapsed valve. Just curious… If the surgeon can’t repair my leaflets, how much do the replacement devices cost? Thanks, Mike”

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“How Will My Heart Valve Replacement Be Measured?” Asks Kate

By Adam Pick on September 11, 2010

I just received a great question from Kate about heart valve replacement surgery.

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CoreValve Technology Gets European Approval

By Adam Pick on September 9, 2010

As technology for heart valve treatment rapidly advances, we continue to learn more about the roll-out of percutaneous devices for both heart valve repair and heart valve replacement. On Tuesday, Medtronic announced that regulators in the European Union have approved the latest version of its CoreValve heart system.

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“Will Situs Inversus Impact My Heart Valve Replacement Surgery?” Asks Dave

By Adam Pick on September 9, 2010

I just received a unique question from Dave about situs inversus and heart valve replacement.

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“How Big Is A Mechanical Heart Valve Replacement?” Asks Jenny

By Adam Pick on September 3, 2010

I just received an interesting question from Jenny about the size of a mechanical heart valve replacement.

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“Will Carcinoid Cancer Treatment Impact My Bovine Heart Valve Replacement?” Asks Barb

By Adam Pick on August 29, 2010

I just received a very unique question from Barb about carcinoid tumor injections and bovine heart valve replacements. Barb writes to me:

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“Where Does The Mitral Valve Replacement Go?” Asks Diane

By Adam Pick on July 13, 2010

I just received a great question from Diane about heart valve replacements.

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Interactive Heart Valve Anatomy Tool At MyHeartValveChoice.com

By Adam Pick on May 4, 2010

In response to our recent discussions about the progression of heart valve stenosis and rheumatic heart valve disease, I have received several emails about the anatomy of the heart and the anatomy of our heart valves. Most of these inquiries have come from patients recently diagnosed with some form of severe valvular disorder.

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Medtronic Gobbles Up ATS Medical As Heart Valve Device Consolidation Continues

By Adam Pick on April 30, 2010

The consolidation trend within the heart valve industry continued yesterday as ATS Medical was purchased by Medtronic in a cash deal valued at $350 million. So you know, that is a 54% premium to ATS’ market capitalization on Wednesday. As a result, ATS’s stock soared $2.59 to $4.00.

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X-Ray Trivia: Can You Find Joe’s New Heart Valve Replacement?

By Adam Pick on April 23, 2010

Joseph Minnucci has really taken advantage of our new Heart Valve Journals tool to communicate with his support group and fellow patients. That said, you may already be aware that Joe had heart valve replacement surgery on February 8, 2010.

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“How Do Tissue Heart Valve Replacements Open And Close?” Asks Mary Anne

By Adam Pick on March 23, 2010

I just received a great question from Mary Anne about heart valve anatomy. Specifically, she is interested to learn more about valvular function within the heart.

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Trifecta Valve Gets Approval From European Union And… Joe

By Adam Pick on March 10, 2010

As many of you know, this is a very exciting time for the heart valve surgery community given the rapid advance of medical technologies used to treat diseases including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

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Grey’s Anatomy Mishandles Heart Valve Surgery

By Adam Pick on January 25, 2010

My wife, Robyn, loves the television show Grey’s Anatomy.

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“Do You Have A Heart Valve Replacement Diagram?” Asks Wendy

By Adam Pick on November 23, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I am a very visual person. For some reason, diagrams, pictures, illustrations always help me better understand concepts. As a result, I could really relate to Wendy’s question about heart valve replacement diagrams.

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Trivia: Who Is The World’s Longest Living Heart Valve Recipient?

By Adam Pick on November 11, 2009

It is perhaps one of the most common and appropriate questions I receive from patients and their caregivers. That question is, “What is my life expectancy after heart valve surgery?”

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