HeartValveSurgery.com to Host Live Webinar for Heart Valve Patients About Treatment During COVID-19 Pandemic

[Update: The special “Advances in COVID-19 & Heart Valve Therapy” webinar held on August 27, 2020 set records for patient registration and attendance.  You can now download a free eBook or watch the video recording of the webinar at this link.]

TORRANCE, Calif. — Heart-Valve-Surgery.com, a leading patient advocacy group, today announced it will host a live webinar to educate patients about potential risks and treatment opportunities specific to heart valve disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. The free event will be held on Thursday, August 27, at 6pm EDT, and feature physicians including Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, and Dr. Jaime Burkle, Clinical Manager of the Piedmont Heart Perimeter Office.

The webinar comes at a time when heart valve disease impacts more than five million Americans. Despite the prevalence and the severity of this fatal type of heart disease, the American Heart Association warns that the COVID-19 pandemic has put health care on hold for many people, leading to heart health emergencies. According to a new study in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, isolated and concomitant heart valve procedures have decreased up to 8 percent during COVID-19 across a broad cardiac surgery case distribution in high burden areas.

“With 20 million infections and more than 700,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 globally, the novel coronavirus has revealed unimagineable blindspots for patients with pre-existing conditions like heart valve disease,” said Adam Pick, patient advocate and founder of Heart-Valve-Surgery.com. “Now more than ever, patients need to be educated about appropriate strategies to manage dangerous valvular conditions while taking a decisive role in their treatment decision-making process. This is a difficult and trying time for patients, and we hope this webinar will empower patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The 60-minute webinar will feature prepared remarks by Dr. Chikwe and Dr. Burkle and a live “Q&A” session during which attendees can ask their questions in real time.

The webinar is co-sponsored by Medtronic and Abbott.