Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 30

If you, or someone you know, have been diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), this post is for you. Let me explain…

I recently attended and spoke at the 2nd Annual Bicuspid Aortic Valve Conference in Chicago, Illinois. During this special conference — which was created for patients, their families and friends — several BAV specialists shared their latest research and clinical experiences specific to the management and treatment of bicuspid aortic valves. The conference was amazing. And, I was super excited to meet many patients from our website at the event.

While the complete, 2-hour conference video is provided below, here are some highlights about this special community event hosted by Northwestern Medicine and Lurie’s Children Hospital.

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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Everything about the holiday speaks to what I cherish most about life — family, fun friends, tasty food and… football. 🙂

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I wanted to thank each of you for your support, inspiration, encouragement and participation at HeartValveSurgery.com. Together, we are educating and empowering patients, their families and friends — all over the world. For that, I am very, very, very, very thankful!

On behalf of Robyn, my wife, and Ethan, my 5-year old son, we are wishing you the happiest of holidays!!!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

I am very excited to announce that Carilion Clinic just launched a Heart Valve Clinic Microsite at HeartValveSurgery.com!

If you didn’t know… Carilion, which is located in Roanoke, Virginia, has been performing heart procedures for more than 30 years.  Many patients from our community — including Michael Siska and Bobby Broughman — have had great surgical outcomes at Carilion.

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Now is the time to maximize your longevity and invigorate your vitality by finding activities that nourish your soul. As you recover from surgery, ask yourself what you’ve always wanted to do or what you want to do more of. There are plenty of hobbies that don’t require too much physical exertion and can be great for stimulating your mind.

Whether you want to make great memories by sharing these activities with your family or want to find some time for yourself, this is your life, and it’s time to live it.

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Finding a great surgeon and experienced cardiac center is beyond critical for patients needing heart valve surgery. However, the process of acquiring trusted and reliable information about medical providers can sometimes be an uphill battle.

So… In case you missed the recent announcement, Consumer Reports just published their first-ever rankings for heart surgery programs in the United States. In total, over 400 hospitals are included in Consumer Reports’ list. To read the whole story, click here.

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Amazing!!! Last week, over 150 patients connected live during our special webinar, “Timing Heart Valve Surgery”, with Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Bonow and myself.

In case you missed it… You can now download the free 51-page eBook by clicking here.

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On a day when we honor the people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, I wanted to salute Ray Tollefson from Michigan. Ray, who is 89 years old, was an Army Ranger during the infamous landing at Normandy during World War II, which is most commonly referred to as D-Day on June 6, 1944.

Here’s a great video to help you learn more about Ray’s heroic story and his recent transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure (TAVR) at the University of Michigan.

Many thanks to Ray and all of the people of the U.S. Armed Forces — past, present and future — for their courage, their bravery, and their resolve to protect this country.

Happy Veteran’s Day!
Adam

There is nothing better than a great patient success story. So, when I received this update from Shannon about babies, bicuspid aortic valves, mechanical valve replacements and Coumadin, I just had to post it. Here is what Shannon wrote to me…

Hey Adam!

I know it has been some time since I last wrote to you with an update.  I’m not even sure where I left off last time.  =)  Quick recap:  I had an aortic aneurysm repair done in May 2009 at Emory University Hospital.  Shortly after this surgery, I wrote you looking for advice on getting pregnant with a bicuspid aortic valve.  WELL…..  I am happy to report that it was very possible!  I gave birth to my son in March 2011!  I had no complications but was monitored VERY closely by my excellent team of doctors in Tallahassee, Florida.  (I did have a scheduled C-section.)

Shannon with Tanner and Ava

Shortly after Tanner’s first birthday, I started experiencing some breathing complications.  It was determined that it was time to replace my aortic valve.  After a lot of thought and prayers, my family and I decided that it would be best to get a mechanical valve since this was my second open heart surgery in three years.

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As heart valve disease can progress at different rates, patients are often confused by a very important question… When is the right time to have heart valve surgery?

To answer that question, I am super excited to announce that Dr. Robert Bonow, past president of the American Heart Association, and Dr. Patrick McCarthy, chief of cardiac surgery at Northwestern Medicine, will be hosting a special one-hour webinar, “Timing Heart Valve Surgery” on Wednesday, November 12, at 4:30pm CST.

More good news! The webinar is free for everybody. However, space is limited to the first 100 registrants.  To register now, click here.

This event will provide special patient insights into the management and treatment of valvular disorders. During the webinar, we will also have a live “Questions & Answers” session where you can ask questions to Drs. Bonow and McCarthy.

So you know, Dr. Robert Bonow, is a world-renown cardiologist who specializes in medical treatment for valve disease and a past chair of the American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association Task Force of Practice Guidelines of Patients with Valvular Disease. Dr. Patrick McCarthy is a heart valve guru having performed over 10,000 cardiac procedures. Currently, Dr. McCarthy is the #1 recommended heart valve surgeon at our Surgeon Finder.

• To register now, click here.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Not that long ago, people who underwent heart valve or other cardiovascular surgery had to wait until their next doctor’s appointment to monitor their heart health. Granted, you probably could have purchased an at-home blood pressure monitor or visited the local pharmacy… But, that was about the extent of it.

Now, thanks to some pretty amazing apps and other smartphone-related technology, your mobile phone can help you do much more than text or make calls. As Harvard Health Publications notes, hundreds of heart health apps are now available, and some of them use the impressive technology inside the phones to allow people to take charge of their cardiovascular health. Consider the following four examples:
 

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As we learned in our recent post, Atrial Fibrillation: 5 Facts Valve Patients Should Know, it is very important for patients with valvular disorders to learn why and how atrial fibrillation (AFib) can impact the functioning of their heart and their surgical treatment. Shortly after posting, I received an excellent follow-up question from Robert about the potential connection between AFib and, specifically, the aortic valve. In Robert’s comment, he writes, “Adam, Was there any discussion of relationships between AFib and aortic valves, valve regurgitation, etc.?”

To provide Robert an expert opinion, I contacted Dr. Niv Ad, a leading cardiac surgeon at White Oak Medical Center in Maryland. As you might know, Dr. Ad is an AFib specialist who has published many research papers on this subject. In addition, Dr. Ad is an incredible patient advocate who hosts an annual AFib Patient Reunion which I’ve been fortunate to attend in the past.

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I recently saw a great question posted at John’s heart valve journal. So you know, John is scheduled for aortic valve surgery on October 17. In his post, John asked, “Since I already know that I have aortic valve stenosis — and need it replaced — why do I have to go through an angiogram?”

Angiogram Image, John & His Wife

I wanted to provide John an expert response to his question. So, I contacted Dr. John Grehan, a heart valve specialist from United Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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In connection with the recent relaunch of HeartValveSurgery.com, I am excited to introduce you to Heart Valve Journals 2.0. As you may know, Heart Valve Journals (HVJ) is a special online community of patients, their family members and friends. We started HVJ, in 2009, to help patients meet and learn from each other. Since then, HVJ has helped 1000’s of people — from diagnosis through recovery.

To help you learn about all the new features and capabilities of Heart Valve Journals community, I made this video guide.

Again, I want to thank all the community members for their feedback, support, encouragement and… criticism.

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If you didn’t know, September is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. As up to 35% of patients in our community have heart valve disease AND atrial fibrillation, here are 6 important facts about atrial fibrillation.

1. What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Its incidence increases with age and the presence of structural heart disease – like valvular disorders including mitral regurgitation. Stroke and heart failure may result patients with atrial fibrillation.

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Here’s a real quick and important tip for all existing users of Heart Valve Journals in the ‘My Community’ section of the relaunched website….

PLEASE… PLEASE LOGIN USING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND PASSWORD!!!

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Great news! Next Tuesday, September 16, I’ll be speaking at the “Bicuspid Aortic Valve — Beyond The Basics” conference in Chicago. The event, which is hosted by Northwestern Medicine’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and Lurie Children’s Hospital is going to be an incredible experience with several leading BAV specialists including Dr. Puthumana, Dr. Fedak, Dr. Young and Dr. Malaisrie.

Please see the the flyer below for details. To register, click here.

Also, if you have just been diagnosed with a bicuspid valve — which is the most common congenital defect affecting up to 2% of the population — here’s a great educational video about BAV with Dr. Paul Fedak.

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Doctors perform more than five million heart surgeries every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These range from stent insertions and open-heart procedures to angioplasties and other cardiovascular procedures. As part of these patients’ recovery plans, many physicians recommend some type of light exercise program. If you’ve undergone heart-related surgery and are looking for a way to be active, tai chi is a terrific option.

Health benefits of tai chi

Over the past several decades, the Chinese martial art known as tai chi has become recognized as an alternative to traditional exercise programs. People of all ages have embraced the low-intensity movements that tai chi offers. As WebMD notes, practicing tai chi on a regular basis can help the body in a number of ways. It improves balance and strength, helps improve mood and reduces chronic pain and discomfort. Tai chi may also help to decrease blood pressure while also boosting cardiovascular function.

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Great news everybody!!!

Thanks to your excellent feedback, ideas and suggestions, we just relaunched HeartValveSurgery.com with over 200 new features.

So you know, our team has been working on this project for 10 months. That said, we are very hopeful that this new interactive platform will educate and empower you through heart valve surgery.

To help you learn about some of the highlights of the new website, I just posted this video. (For the hearing impaired members of our community, you can read the video transcript posted below.)

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Just last week, I was talking to Paul, my neighbor, about our ‘Top 5 Actors’ of all time.  With movies like Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and The World According to Garp, the comedian and Oscar-award winning actor, Robin Williams topped my list.

Robin Williams (1951-2014)

I’m guessing that some of you might think I’m a tad bias towards Robin Williams — considering that he had aortic valve replacement and mitral valve repair surgery in 2009. But, the truth is… Robin Williams’ valvular work, or “plumbing” as he called it, had zero impact on my discussion with Paul.

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I just received several excellent questions from Mary about bicuspid aortic valve replacement, aorta size and heart valve replacement devices. In her email, Mary writes, “Hi Adam – I want to know whether an enlarged aorta returns to normal after bicuspid valve replacement. Also do you have an opinion as to which is better, bovine or mechanical valve. Thank you.”

To help Mary, I contacted Dr. John Kern, who is the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Virginia Health System. So you know, Dr. Kern has successfully treated several members from our community including Todd Breeden.

In his response, Dr. Kern first answered Mary’s question about the size of the aorta following a bicuspid aortic valve replacement operation:

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