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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Two weeks ago, we introduced a unique website feature known as Heart Valve Journals.  I’m very happy to report that the number of new journals launched - by patients and caregivers - has soared!
One of the most active patients within this new community is Duane Hunt from Winter Haven, Florida. Not only is Duane active, [...]

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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 currently traveling through Europe for work. Right now, I’m on a train going from Eindhoven to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Yes, it’s cold. But, not as cold as Helsinki, Finland where it was freeeeeezing.
Luckily, I have a few moments to read personal emails. One of those emails was from Mark Linnus, a 46 year-old [...]

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Some may call David’s story ironic. I call it fantastic! That said, I thought you might find this very unique story of interest. Here is what David wrote to me:
Hi Adam,
I just had my calcified aortic bicuspid valve replaced with an Edwards Lifesciences pericardial (bovine) valve on October 28, 2009. I also had a single [...]

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Kelly just sent me this very insightful patient story which touches on several critical factors specific to heart valve surgery from the patient perspective. That said, I thought you might want to learn about Kelly and her surgeon, Dr. Kevin Miller. Here is what Kelly wrote to me:

Kelly Gaul - Heart Valve Replacement Patient
Hi Adam,
It’s [...]

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As we have seen through the inspiring stories of Teppo Numminen (NHL hockey star) and Aaron Boone (MLB baseball star), several athletes have returned to professional sports after heart valve surgery.
Here is a great story about competitive cyclist, Michael Gnatek. At 43 years of age, Michael required mitral valve repair surgery due to a mitral [...]

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It is perhaps one of the most common and appropriate questions I receive from patients and their caregivers. That question is, “What is my life expectancy after heart valve surgery?”
As we all know, every patient case is unique. But, the research suggests that life expectancy after heart valve surgery continues to improve thanks to incredible [...]

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