Over the past twenty years, the costs of health care and insurance has skyrocketed. According to the United Stated Census Bureau, over 45 million people, or 15.3% of Americans, did not have any form of health insurance in 2007.
I was lucky. I had pretty good health insurance when I had my aortic valve replacement operation [...]

continue reading.....

Ready to take a guess?
Here’s the question… How many mitral valve surgeries (including valve repair and valve replacement) are performed each year in the United States?
Any ideas?
Want some help? Okay… Here is a hint. Each year there are over 100,000 heart valve surgeries performed in the United States. (I know that wasn’t the greatest hint [...]

continue reading.....

Samantha just wrote me, “Hi Adam - I’m freaking out right now. My mother was just told that she will need open heart surgery to replace her mitral valve. I am on information overload as I’m surfing the Internet like crazy. I’m trying to better understand the surgical process… Is it true that the heart [...]

continue reading.....

Considering that a cardiac catheterization is on Times Online’s Top 10 Scary Medical Procedures, I am always looking for good patient information to dispel the fear associated with this procedure. (FYI, many heart valve surgery patients have a cardiac catheterization prior to heart valve surgery.)
On that note, Ken just sent me a very detailed account [...]

continue reading.....

Brenda just wrote in with an interesting question about mitral valve prolapse and headaches. She writes, “Adam - I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse over ten years ago. However, I have been completely asymptomatic since then. Recently, I have had really bad headaches… They might even be migraine headaches. Do you know if that [...]

continue reading.....

In an email, Ted just wrote, “I’m about to have my aortic valve replaced. I’m a little nervous to ask this question but do you know where I might be able to watch a heart valve replacement video?”
Sure Ted. To help you and a lot of the other patients and caregivers at this site, I [...]

continue reading.....

Devon just sent me an email that reads, “I was just diagnosed with aorta valve stenosis. My doctor told me that my aorta valve is narrow and blood is having a hard time getting through my heart. Do all people with aorta valve disorders need surgery?”
In reviewing Devon’s email, I think she may be a [...]

continue reading.....

After speaking with thousands of heart surgery patients, I can not stress how important it is to feel INCREDIBLY CONFIDENT in your surgeon. There is nothing better than knowing you found the right surgeon with the right procedure at the right time.
That said, you should definitely conduct significant research to find the right man or [...]

continue reading.....

This just in from CNN…
Edwards Lifesciences’ “Sapien” Replacement Valve has been viewed as a market-expanding product because there are many patients with failing heart valves who are simply too frail to endure traditional heart surgery.
However, it may be tough to prove in certain circumstances that Edwards’ Sapien valve is a better treatment option as some [...]

continue reading.....

Jenny must be tired of seeing my scar sprinkled throughout this website. She asks, “Adam - Do you have any pictures of incision scars for women who have had open heart surgery? I’m getting ready for open heart surgery and would like to see what my chest scar might look like.”

Well, I do have [...]

continue reading.....