Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 29

Two years ago at the TCT conference in San Francisco, I was very fortunate to connect with Dr. Jason Foerst, an interventional cardiologist that specializes in transcatheter valve therapy. When we met, Dr. Foerst was going through the process of launching a Heart Valve Clinic — which is no easy task.

Fast forward 24 months… I am thrilled to report that Dr. Foerst and the his team achieved their goal. The Carilion Heart Valve Clinic is now helping patients who need both surgical therapy and non-invasive transcatheter treatment for aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

On a recent trip through Virginia, I went inside the the Carilion Clinic to learn more. Here are the highlights from my tour:

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[Update: Please note that Dr. Allan Stewart is no longer performing surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital.]

On a recent trip to New York, I was very fortunate to meet Christine Pittelli, a full-time mother of two girls, and Pedro Mejias, a world record power lifter who has bench pressed 645 pounds.

I had a great time with Christine and Pedro. Hearing their success stories was both inspiring and educational. I learned a lot about bicuspid aortic valves, aneurysms, valve repairs, minimally invasive techniques and Dr. Allan Stewart, their surgeon. For these reasons, I just posted this video.

Many thanks to Christine Pittelli and Pedro Mejias for sharing their stories with me and our community. Plus, a special thanks goes out to Dr. Allan Stewart for his extraordinary care of our patients. Dr. Stewart has successfully treated 100+ patients from our website. 🙂

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Since launching this website, I’ve connected with many patients who were diagnosed with both heart valve disease and atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is an abnormal heart rhythm.  According to reports, about 30% of patients with valvular disorders also have AFib. So, it’s pretty common.

However… I recently learned that about 70% of patients diagnosed with valve disease and atrial fibrillation DO NOT get atrial fibrillation treatment during their valve repair or valve replacement procedures. Yikes!!!

For these reasons, I just built a new Atrial Fibrillation Education Center to help patients get educated and empowered specific to heart valve disease and AFib. Here’s a quick, instructional video about the new AFib Education Center. (A written transcript of this video is provided below for the hearing impaired members of our community.)

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The highlight of my day is meeting and spending time with patients. I love hearing their stories. I love getting to know them. I often find myself in awe and then tears after listening to their inspirational stories.

That said… I recently connected with Linda Staples during my travels to Indianapolis. Linda, who was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and mitral valve disease, really touched and moved me. To share Linda’s story with you, we filmed this video together.

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To support the launch of our new Atrial Fibrillation Education Center, I traveled to Norfolk, Virginia to meet with Dr. Jonathan Philpott, a cardiac surgeon at Sentara Heart Hospital, who specializes in concomitant heart valve and atrial fibrillation therapy.

During my interview, Dr. Philpott shared many insights about the symptoms, the causes and the risks of atrial fibrillation. In addition, Dr. Philpott shared some eye-opening facts about the lack of AFib treatment for patients who undergo heart valve repair or replacement surgery. Specifically, Dr. Philpott noted that up to 70% of patients who have heart valve surgery do not get surgical AFib treatment using the Maze procedure. Essentially, the AFib is just “left behind”.

On behalf of our patients and caregivers, I wanted to thank Dr. Philpott and the Sentara Heart Team for taking the time to share their very important research and clinical experiences with our community.

• Visit our new Atrial Fibrilation Education Center.
• Find a list of AFib cardiac centers and surgeons by clicking here.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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This is pretty darn awesome! If you are the recipient of an Edwards Lifesciences valve or repair ring, here’s a really neat community event that I want to share with you.

Heart valve innovator and manufacturer Edwards will be hosting its first-ever “Patient Day” on Friday, March 13. During this event, Edwards heart valve patients will connect in real-time at the company’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, California, to share their stories and explore how they can better support each other and improve the lives of future heart valve patients.

This educational exchange will help Edwards and its partners, including patients, caregivers and non-profits, improve the patient experience and outcomes.

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As patients evaluate their heart valve replacement choices, one question patients often have about mechanical valves is, “Will I hear the valve tick?”

It’s a great question. So you know, sound is one of the differences between mechanical valves and tissue valves. Mechanical valve replacements are known to make a ticking sound while tissue valves are silent.

To help you better understand the actual ticking sound of a mechanical valve, I filmed this impromptu video with Linda Kincaid, a patient from Indiana, who had a mechanical valve implanted last year.

Fyi… I could barely hear Linda’s mechanical valve tick. To me, it sounded almost like a wrist watch ticking. Could you hear it? To leave a comment, scroll below!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Hi Everybody,

Sorry for being a little quiet as of late. So you know, we’ve been working on a very significant website update.

“Why?” you might be wondering. Well, after we relaunched our website last August, we were not completely prepared for the increased traffic and patient interactions across the website. As we reviewed the website code, we found several opportunities to optimize the code and implement new technologies to enhance your experience at HeartValveSurgery.com (HVS).

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A key question for patients needing heart valve surgery is, “What type of incision will be used to access and then repair or replace my heart valve?”

For example, Melanie just asked me, “Can you please tell me if the mitral valve can be replaced via minimally invasive surgery? I need mine replaced. I was told that only mitral valve repairs can be done using less invasive techniques. Is that true?”

Diagram of Minimally Invasive Approach to the Mitral Valve

I wanted to provide Melanie an expert response. So, I contacted Dr. Marc Gillinov from the Cleveland Clinic. So you know, Dr. Gillinov is a valve specialist. About 90% of his surgeries involve valve therapy. Most importantly, Dr. Gillinov has helped over 100 patients from our community including Lee Corbin, Ralph Mason, and Anita Devine. In addition to all of that great stuff, Dr. Gillinov is a super nice guy who also co-wrote Heart 411.

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I just received a great question from John about sternal clicking after open heart surgery.

In his email, John writes to me, “Adam,  I have a sternal click.  It started 2 days post op where I was having trouble sleeping on my back. Attempting to sleep on my side, I felt a decisive “thud” and immediately rolled back and my chest seemed to right itself back.  I continued to experience this click as I had little sternal pain and was liberal in my movements.  I then researched the topic and came across some info on nonunion of the sternotomy and became concerned.  Is this common for patients? What is a nonunion of the sternum? What can be done to prevent this? What can be done to correct it? Thanks! John”

Xray of Sternal Nonunion

To get John an expert response, I contacted Dr. T. Sloane Guy.

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Great news. If you missed our recent webinar, “Advances in Mitral Valve Surgery; Plus, Valve Management Guidelines” with Dr. David Adams, Dr. Rick Nishimura and myself, you can now download the free 40-page eBook by clicking here.

Watch The Webinar Filmed In Dr. Adams’ Office!

In addition to the eBook, you can also watch the webinar that was filmed live from Dr. Adams’ office at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

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I just received a great question from Rachel about calcium build-up on bicuspid aortic valves.

Rachel writes to me, “Hi Adam, At 49, I was recently diagnosed with a severely calcified bicuspid aortic valve. I’m told that I will need surgery in the next year. I don’t really have any symptoms… yet. My question is about the calcium on the leaflets. Is it possible for the surgeon to simply remove the calcium to improve the functioning of the valve? Or, does the calcium always damage the valve leaflets to the point where it needs to be replaced? Thanks, Rachel.”

Bicuspid Aortic Valve with Calcium Build-Up

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For centuries, people have used water as a way to calm and de-stress the body, relieve pain and improve overall well-being.

Generally referred to as hydrotherapy, it can involve anything from soaking in a warm tub to relieve discomfort or using cold water to reduce inflammation. Although “hydrotherapy” can also include inhaling steam, using foot baths and placing a hot compress on an aching head, it more commonly refers to immersing the entire body in a hot tub, spa or pool.

As for me, I’m a “fish out of water”.  Hot or cold, I’m always up for getting wet. I like to swim, surf, scuba, snorkel, wakeboard and simply sit in water. Water rejuvenates me. Here’s a picture of Ethan, my son, and I playing in a lake.

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I often receive the question, “How fast does a heart surgery incision heal?”

It’s a great question. Unfortunately, I don’t have a precise answer considering that (i) we all heal at different rates and (ii) many of us will have different incision types — from a full sternotomy to a mini-sternotomy to a thoracotomy, etc.

Cristen Marzula – Heart Valve Surgery Patient

That said, Cristen Marzula, from Memphis, Tennessee, just posted an awesome picture in her heart valve journal about the rate at which her incision healed. In the picture below, you will see that Cristen compares her incision 3 days after surgery to a picture of her incision 5 weeks after surgery.

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I’m very fortunate to meet many patients with heart valve disease. It’s always interesting to hear how each patient has a unique story specific to their valvular disorder.

Stella McClellan is a perfect example of this phenomena. Within 30 seconds of meeting Stella, I was captivated by her story. I mean… When someone tells you they were about to die from aortic stenosis, how can you not want to learn more. This is Stella’s patient success story thanks to a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

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As many of you know, I am an optimist.

I truly believe that every dark tunnel — no matter how dark — has light at the end of it. I truly believe that for every situation — no matter how unfortunate it may be — there is something to learn from, something to grow from, something to challenge ourselves with.

However, this optimism has its moments. My hopes are tested. And, my resolve to stay positive can feel completely dislocating.

During the past 30 days, I experienced two of these foreign moments.

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During 2014, our community actively discussed many topics specific to the management and the treatment of heart valve disease. As we prepare to enter 2015, I thought it might be helpful to look back at the stories that generated the most interest and social sharing during the past twelve months.

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As many of the gift giving holidays just passed, there is no better time to start focusing on a healthy new year. That said, here are a 5 healthy gift ideas (and tips) to help you — and those around you — during 2015!

So you know… The CDC states that an unbelievable 26.6 million adults in the United States are diagnosed with heart disease. If your parent, spouse, child or friend has shown an interest in adopting a healthier lifestyle, this is a prime opportunity to help them on their way. When the time comes for gift-giving, be it a holiday, birthday or other celebration, you can support their efforts with these five gift ideas that will keep your loved ones going strong on the journey for better health.

1. Make Nutrition Easy

There’s an old adage that says, “You can’t out-train a bad diet.” The nutrition piece of the wellbeing puzzle is an especially important part that is often the most difficult for health-seekers. Poor eating habits are hard to break, and even the slightest enticing treat can throw someone entirely off track. Many people find that nutritious meals take more time to make, and cost more money, so are less incited to make the effort. But you can change this.

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I just received a great question from Mark about symptoms and potential, patient limitations relating to aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation.

In his email, Mark writes, “Adam, I was diagnosed in 1999 with Aortic Regurgitation at age 47 and receive annual echos and check up. This year 2014 at age 62, I was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis, I believe moderate at 1.2 to 1.5 CM2. I have reported to my cardiologist mild shortness of breath and very regular and annoying palpations. My job is high stress and at times includes extreme over exertion. I can’t seem to keep up and at times feel very fatigued, short of breath and ill.  My cardiologist is great, but he said my age may be the primary reason, not my heart disease. My primary care physician tends to disagree and thinks my Aortic Stenosis is primarily responsible. My question is with moderate aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation, is there risk to extreme over exertion, and high stress? I am asking for your opinion because of your knowledge on the subject.”

I wanted to provide Mark an expert response to his question so I contacted Dr. Jeff Gibson, a cardiac surgeon from Nashville, Tennessee. So you know, Dr. Gibson has treated many members of our community including LaTonya Blair, Thomas Bryant and Carol Chandler. 🙂

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I am very excited to announce that Dr. David Adams, the Program Director of The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center, and Dr. Rick Nishimura, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, will be hosting a special one-hour webinar on Friday, December 19, at 12:0pm EST.

The webinar, “Advances in Mitral Valve Surgery & Valve Management Guidelines”, will help educate patients, their families and friends about the latest techniques for treating mitral valve disorders including mitral regurgitation. Plus, Drs. Adams and Nishimura will also address the latest 2014 Valve Management Guidelines that help cardiologists, surgeons and patients with their specific heart valve disorder.

More good news… The webinar is free for everybody. To register now, click here.

I forgot to mention… During the webinar, you will have an opportunity to ask Drs. Adams and Nishimura questions in real-time. That said, this is an excellent opportunity to get your questions answered from two valve gurus!!!

• To register now, click here.

Keep on tickin!
Adam