I just received a very, very, very educational and inspirational story from Kevin Haines about stroke, heart valve replacement, rehab, Coumadin and cardiac depression. That said, I thought you might enjoy it… Greetings Adam: I have written you in the past but wanted to give you a post-op update. My aortic valve was replaced in October 2008 [...]

Earlier this month, Dr. Marc Gillinov - one of the leading heart valve surgeons from The Cleveland Clinic - held an exclusive, online chat with our patient and caregiver community. Thanks to your interactive participation, this event was an overwhelming success!!! Today, I am excited to announce that the written transcript of Dr. Gillinov’s chat, [...]

There is nothing better than waking up, enjoying a cup of coffee, turning on the computer and finding a patient success story in my inbox. Today, I received a patient success story all the way from Portugal. It’s about Filomeno Faustino’s recent aortic valve replacement with a Carbomedics Top Hat mechanical device. Here is what Filomeno [...]

Since launching this website in 2006, our community has grown way, way, way beyond my initial expectation. As a result, several new features have been created to help patients and caregivers through the heart valve surgery process. Two recently released services include the Heart Valve Surgeon Database and Heart Valve Journals. To help you quickly access these [...]

Not too long ago, I received a very special email from Dr. Paul Massimiano of Inova Health Systems in Falls Church, Virginia. In the email, Dr. Massimiano informed me that Inova holds an annual patient reunion to (i) share their latest research and (ii) show Inova’s appreciation for their patients, families and friends. As I read [...]

One of the primary exams used to detect heart valve disease involves the stethoscope. While this diagnostic device, invented by Rene Laennec in 1816, is not as technologically advanced as 3D-MTEE imaging, stethoscopes can help cardiologists and surgeons quickly identify variable forms of heart valve disease. The two most common forms of heart valve disorders are aortic [...]

I just received an interesting question from Bill about heart valve surgery and cardiac rehabilitation programs. Bill writes, “Hi Adam - I had my aortic valve replaced and the aortic root repaired. After leaving the hospital, I slept in a recliner for three weeks, had frequent dizzy spells, back spasms and felt like I was in a [...]

Life is fantastic mixture of good days, tough days, great days and, sometimes, bad days. However, every once in a while, we are fortunate to experience… extraordinary days. Recently, in Greeneville, North Carolina, I had one of those rare, extraordinary days. “What the heck happened to Adam?” you might be wondering. Well… I was very fortunate (and very [...]

It is often said that heart surgery can be a physical and emotional rollercoaster for patients. There are ups… And, there are downs. If anyone can testify to that realistic thought, it is Duane Hunt. As you might recall, I recently featured Duane’s story at our new online community, Heart Valve Journals, following his mitral valve repair. Well, since that post… Duane [...]

Last Wednesday, our patient and caregiver community was fortunate to participate in an exclusive, online chat with Dr. Marc Gillinov, one of the leading heart valve surgeons from The Cleveland Clinic. As this was our first, interactive chat with The Cleveland Clinic, I was curious (and a bit nervous) to receive feedback from their team following [...]