Looking back on 2009, it seems like heart valve surgery was one of the most popular topics within cardiac care.
On one hand, many public figures were treated for valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. On the other hand, several medical advances relative to heart valve surgery were covered in research journals, on radio, [...]

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As the new year begins, I wanted you to know that I recently began shipping advanced copies of the new 2010 edition of my book, The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery.
Some highlights of the fully-revised 2010 edition include:

Over 40 pages of new information specific to heart valve replacement and heart valve repair surgery.
References to [...]

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I just received an interesting email from Sandy which addresses a key point and warning for patients - especially women. That said, I thought you might like to learn more about Sandy’s heart valve surgery experience. Here is what she wrote to me:
Dear Adam,
I am a 52-year old female. I had a mitral valve prolapse [...]

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Carol just sent me an email that touches on a common, patient challenge prior to surgery… fear.
In her note she writes, “Adam - Next week I am scheduled for surgery due to severe mitral regurgitation resulting from a prolapsed valve. I’ve known about this for over 15 years but I can’t believe the time is [...]

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In the past, we’ve discussed how patients, like Sylvia Woolworth, got physically and mentally fit prior to heart valve surgery. Specific to this topic, I recently opened an email from Dr. Michael Baity, a retired dentist from Michigan. Dr. Baity just had aortic valve replacement surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Here is what he wrote [...]

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Emotions can be undeniably strong and turbulent as patients and their support groups experience heart valve surgery.
On one hand, I experienced a profound sense of appreciation and thankfulness during my recovery. Like many of you, I found myself swirling in waves of emotions that often triggered tears. In fact, the running joke with Robyn (my [...]

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Patients and caregivers often ask me about the immediate, post-op experience in the intensive care unit. Common questions include:

How long were you in the intensive care unit?
Did you experience pain immediately?
Was your family allowed in the ICU area?
How many tubes were sticking out of you when you woke up?

However, one of more common questions I [...]

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Not only is today the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year…
But, it’s also the anniversary of my aortic and pulmonary heart valve replacement surgery!

I have to admit… It is somewhat unbelievable to think that at this exact moment, four years ago, I was in the operating room at USC Medical Center. And, it [...]

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In addition to Robin Williams, Barbara Bush, Elizabeth Taylor, Ed Koch and many other public figures who had heart valve surgery in 2009…
Fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne is now recovering from heart valve surgery at his home in Morro Bay, California. LaLanne’s publicist, Ariel Hankin, said earlier this week that the 95-year-old underwent the procedure at [...]

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I’m very, very, very excited to announce that the new Heart Valve Surgeon Database (Version 2.0) is going public today. You will quickly note there are several advanced features of the database including:

A completely revised look (shown below). I found a web design team that made the database incredibly easy for patients and caregivers to use.

Over [...]

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