Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 52

As Dr. Allan Stewart wrote to me, “We did it!”

“It” was the New York City triathlon.

Dr. Allan Stewart (Surgeon) with Greg O’Keeffe (His Patient)

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Similar to its mitral regurgitation tool, The Cleveland Clinic just announced a new, online program to help patients and caregivers determine their need for cardiac surgery relative to aortic stenosis.

Here is a snippet from their website about the interactive, aortic stenosis tool:

“Is surgery recommended for your aortic stenosis? This interactive tool, based on the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association Guidelines for management of aortic valve disease will help determine if it is. The tool asks you several simple questions, considers your answers, and tells you whether you may be a candidate for surgery.”

In addition, Dr. E. Murat Tuzcu, cardiologist, and Dr. Lars Svensson, cardiac surgeon, provide some additional information about aortic valve stenosis – narrowing of the heart valve – in an educational video.

I hope you enjoy this new tool for aortic stenosis diagnosis.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Recently, I was extremely lucky to observe Dr. Saibal Kar and his team perform its 103rd MitraClip procedure on a patient with severe mitral regurgitation at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Saibal Kar And Me In The Cath Lab At Cedars-Sinai

While I expected to watch the procedure from a gallery – much like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy – I quickly found myself inside the cardiac catheter lab wearing scrubs and a lead suit used to protect me against x-ray exposure from fluoroscopy.

For the next three hours, I had front-row access to Dr. Saibal Kar’s team as they cared for the patient and deployed the new MitraClip device. Yes… This was much, much, much better than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Although the MitraClip has yet to receive FDA approval in the United States, Dr. Kar has been using the device to treat mitral valve regurgitation without causing any physical trauma to the patient’s sternum or ribs. As previously discussed, the results of the MitraClip clinical trials have been encouraging.

A few minutes before the procedure began, I was very surprised to see a familiar face enter the cardiac catheterization lab. Doctor Alfredo Trento, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, quietly assumed a position to left of Dr. Kar.

Dr. Kar (Cardiologist) and Dr. Trento (Cardiac Surgeon)
Work Side-By-Side During A MitraClip Procedure

“This has got to be somewhat unique,” I thought to myself, “Given the distinct nature of their specialties and some of the skepticism surrounding the MitraClip from the surgeon community, I can not imagine this is common.” (I would later learn that, so far, only a handful of cardiac surgeons have taken a serious clinical interest in this non-invasive procedure used to treat mitral valve regurgitation.)

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

Diane writes, “Adam – Yesterday, I was diagnosed with severe mitral valve regurgitation. My cardiologist said I should start planning on having my heart valve replaced soon. I’m confused by all of this. One thing I can’t figure out is where will the new valve goes? Do you have any pictures that could help me visualize this? Diane”

To see how a heart valve replacement device is positioned in the mitral location, please review the picture above. As you can see, a mitral valve replacement – which is typically a tissue valve or a mechanical valve – is inserted where the defective valve previously resided in the heart.

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[Update: Please note that Dr. Allan Stewart no longer practices at Columbia University Medical Center.]

This is a special guest blog by Greg O’Keeffe. I thought you might really appreciate hearing about Greg’s recovery, Dr. Stewart’s unique connection with his patients, and their combined athletic and charitable efforts. Here is what Greg wrote me:

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This past Wednesday, Dr. Eric Roselli, a leading heart surgeon from The Cleveland Clinic, hosted an exclusive internet chat with our patient and caregiver community. Thanks to your questions and your participation, this was a very active and educational chat that is now available in a written transcript.

To download the official transcript (in pdf format), simply click here to save the file to your computer. Please note, you must use Adobe Reader to open and review the transcript. You can download a free copy of Adobe Reader software by clicking here. (FYI, most computers come with this software pre-loaded.)

Thanks to the Patient Education Team at The Cleveland Clinic – Betsy, Megan, Samiya – for coordinating this event. Thanks to you for your attendance and questions. And, a special thanks to Dr. Roselli for sharing his time and expertise with all of us.

Have a great weekend!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

For those of you following the heart valve replacement recovery of Barbara Walters… I just learned that Barbara Walters will appear on “The View” this Monday, July 12, eight weeks after surgery.

According to reports, the 80-year old recipient of an aortic valve replacement, will appear – via video – briefly during the show founded by Mrs. Walters. As you may recall, Barbara had heart valve surgery due to severe aortic stenosis at the beginning of May, 2010.

ABC released the following statement, “In what will be her first nationally televised appearance since undergoing heart valve replacement surgery in May, “The View” creator, executive producer and co-host Barbara Walters will appear on the show live, via Skype, on Monday, July 12. — ABC News”

Keep on tickin’ Barbara!
Adam

This is an exciting time for the medical treatment of diseased heart valves. As demonstrated in prior blogs, unique technologies are rapidly evolving to correct heart valve disorders including stenotic aortic valves and regurgitant mitral valves. That said, conversations specific to minimally invasive heart valve procedures often stimulate exciting clinical and patient possibilities.

Dr. Husam Balkhy

On this note, I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Husam Balkhy at the University of Chicago.  As you may remember, Dr. Balkhy has been intimately involved in the adaptive use of the Da Vinci surgical robot for aortic valve replacement surgery.

If you are interested in learning more about the current and future use of robotics for aortic valve replacement, please read the interview notes provided below:

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If you have yet to visit our new social network, Heart Valve Journals, I would encourage you to stop by. Since launching this new community, thousands of patients and caregivers have used this online network to meet, support and stay in-touch with each other.

At 22 years of age, Trevor Nelson is one of the younger patients to benefit from the unique features of Heart Valve Journals. If you have some time, please click here to visit Trevor’s journal. As you will soon see, Trevor has posted 30+ journals, 10+ pictures, and received 150+ comments in his Guestbook.

Best of all, Trevor is doing very well one month after aortic valve surgery!!!

Keep on tickin’ Trevor!
Adam

My inbox is overflowing with great questions about Dr. Eric Roselli’s chat scheduled for today, Wednesday, July 7 at 2pm (EST). That said, I will use this blog to answer the six, most common questions about this special event:

QUESTION 1 – Can I still register for the event?
Answer: Yes, you can still register for the event. To sign-up for the event, simply click this link and follow the instructions.

QUESTION 2 – Is the online chat free? Or, do I need to pay?
Answer: The event is completely free for everybody.

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I just received an interesting question from Tanya about calcified heart valve leaflets.

Tanya writes, “Dear Adam – I am hoping you can help me better understand my diagnosis of mitral stenosis. The doctor mentioned that I am moderate-to-severe and could be facing surgery soon. The cardiologist also said that my valve may be calcified. I’m curious…. Do you have any pictures of a calcified valve? Thanks! Tanya”

Calcified Mitral Valve

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If you are preparing for or recovering from aortic valve surgery, here is a great way to get your questions answered from a surgical expert. This Wednesday, July 7 at 2pm (EST), Dr. Eric Roselli, one of The Cleveland Clinic’s leading heart surgeons, will answer your questions during a special online chat.

Registration for the chat: If you would like to participate in the free online chat this Wednesday with Dr. Roselli, simply click here to register!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

I just received this insightful email from Steve, who recently had heart valve surgery. I thought you might really enjoy it… So, here it is:

Steve Miller – Heart Valve Replacement Patient

Dear Adam –  Congratulations on getting that article published in The Chicago Tribune! Also, thank you for writing such an informative and helpful book. I am a nine week recipient of a St. Jude’s mechanical aortic valve. It is working well and I am on my way to full recovery.

I would like to share the following tips, thoughts and ideas – many of which you previously mentioned – to stress their importance to fellow patients.

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I just received a question from Emma about the normal size of an aortic valve.

She writes, “Hi Adam, I’ve been diagnosed with severe aortic valve stenosis although I am asymptomatic. I believe I’m on the path to surgery as my echo shows a valve area of 0.9. I’m curious. What is the normal size of the aortic valve? Thanks for all you do! Emma”

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I am a huge fan of all types of music – from classic rock to jazz to country to opera to new age. I even play a few instruments including the guitar and bass.

On that note (pun intended), it was 1987 when I first listened to Sting’s second solo release, Nothing Like The Sun. On that cd, there was an incredibly soothing song that would eventually become one of my favorites. That song is “Be Still My Beating Heart”.

I’m not sure if you have similar musical tastes to mine. But, given the theme of this blog and its interesting lyrics, I figured it might be fun to share this calming song with you. Simply press the play button below and make sure the volume on your computer is on.

If you are curious, here are the lyrics:

“Be Still My Beating Heart”

Be still my beating heart
It would be better to be cool
It’s not time to be open just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget
Be still my beating heart
Or I’ll be taken for a fool
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so

I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Restore my broken dreams
Shattered like a falling glass
I’m not ready to be broken just yet
A lesson once learned is so hard to forget

Be still my beating heart
You must learn to stand your ground
It’s not healthy to run at this pace
The blood runs so red to my face
I’ve been to every single book I know
To soothe the thoughts that plague me so

Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Never to be wrong
Never to make promises that break
It’s like singing in the wind
Or writing on the surface of a lake
And I wriggle like a fish caught on dry land
And I struggle to avoid any help at hand

I sink like a stone that’s been thrown in the ocean
My logic has drowned in a sea of emotion
Stop before you start
Be still my beating heart

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Keep on tickin!
Adam

On March 31, we donated $5,000 to the Gift of Life charity to help children born with heart defects. The donation was raised thanks to (i) purchases of my book and (ii) sponsorships from surgeons, clinics and medical device manufacturers.

Today, I learned that our donation will help Victor Manuel Saravia, a 12-month old boy from El Salvador that is very ill. Here is a recent picture of Victor:

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As strange as this sounds… In today’s edition of The Chicago Tribune I find myself on the cover of an educational magazine titled “Cardiovascular Care”.

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I just received an interesting question from Nicole about sleeping on your stomach after open heart surgery.

Nicole writes, “Adam – I had my mitral valve repaired 2 weeks ago. The surgeon used a sternotomy, so my chest is still sore. I’m a tummy sleeper, so I’m not sleeping well. How long until I can sleep on my stomach? Thanks! Nicole”

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Great news!

You can now register for Dr. Eric Roselli’s upcoming chat titled, “Aortic Valve & Aorta Surgery”, scheduled for Wednesday, July 7 at 2pm (EST).

This special, one-hour session, hosted by The Cleveland Clinic, will provide you with direct access to one of their leading heart surgeons.

If you would like to join this free online chat, you must register at The Cleveland Clinic website. Here are the actions needed to register. Please follow these step-by-step instructions. It’s a little bit tricky so you may want to print out these instructions.

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I just received a question from Dave about the use of compression stockings after heart surgery.

Dave writes, “Adam – The time is here. I’m going in for mitral valve repair (not replacement I hope) due to severe mitral regurgitation and an enlarged heart. Yesterday, I was at a barbecue when a friend told me that I should expect to be in annoying compression stockings after heart surgery – when I wake up in the intensive care unit (ICU). Is that true? Thanks, Dave”

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