Diet and exercise. When it comes to heart health, these two lifestyle habits are known to truly help – or hinder – the health of your heart. We’ve all heard about the benefits of eating healthy and being active, but did you know that sitting in a sauna has health benefits for your heart? It does! For centuries, saunas have been praised for their health benefits. While in a sauna, a person’s body temperature increases, which means the heart rate increases, as well. The cardiac output is higher. If the heart rate rises, but the vessels of the body relax, resistance is lowered. Blood flow to the ..read more

Aortic stenosis is a form of aortic valve disease. With this condition, the aortic valve’s flaps (cusps) have thickened or become stiff and could possibly fuse together, which narrows the valve. Because of this, the valve’s opening is narrowed and blocks or reduces blood flow from the heart into the aorta and to the rest of the body. Aortic stenosis is also referred to as a tight aortic valve. When the aortic valve is tight, there is greater stress on the heart and less blood going elsewhere in the body. When a person has aortic stenosis, the aortic valve does not open properly, so it is ..read more

What is structural heart disease? Structural heart disease is a type of heart disease that is the result of wear and tear on the heart valves, or a type of heart disease a person is born with. A tight or leaky heart valve is structural heart disease. If a person is born with a hole within the chambers of the heart, this is a structural heart disease from birth. Right now, structural heart disease is one of the fastest growing fields in cardiology. Patients can now receive minimally-invasive surgeries and treatments that are a lot less risky than open-heart surgery. These new surgeries have le ..read more

Mitral valve disease can be a serious condition when the mitral valve (the valve located between the left atrium and left ventricle heart chambers) no longer works properly. The mitral valve’s job is to keep blood flowing properly from the left atrium to the left ventricle. This valve is the one most often correlated with disease.  When the mitral valve isn’t functioning properly, the heart is not pumping enough blood out of the left ventricular chamber to provide the body with oxygen-enriched blood. As of right now, medical research is not close to finding a medicine that can treat ..read more

What is cardiac depression? Cardiac depression is a form of depression. It occurs after a heart event, such as heart valve surgery. People often feel alone, lost, and lack energy. After heart surgery, 20 to 40 percent of cardiac patients may begin to exhibit signs of depression. Some doctors believe that depression after a cardiac event can lead to a poorer outcome for the patient, meaning the depression is a risk factor for heart disease and other outcomes following a heart event. So, depression can increase/create a vicious cycle of heart treatments/events and more depression. The purpose o ..read more

Heart disease isn’t just for grownups. Unfortunately, babies and children can be born with or develop heart disease, too. Although age is a contributing factor to developing heart disease, it isn’t the only factor. Last month, there was great news in the heart health world – the FDA approved the world’s smallest mechanical heart valve for newborns and infants! Developed by Abbott Laboratories, this valve is called the Masters HP 15mm mechanical heart valve. Doctors can now use this to treat newborns or infants in need of a mitral valve or aortic valve replacement. This announcement is truly a ..read more

When it comes to mitral valve surgery, there are two options: a mitral valve repair or a mitral valve replacement. Most heart valve surgeons, like Dr. Peter Mikhail, aim to do a mitral valve repair. Why? It’s always better to preserve and repair a person’s own valve/body part, if possible. Now if the valve is too badly damaged, a replacement will most likely be the solution. For this article, we share the advantages of having a mitral valve repair over a mitral valve replacement. As stated above, surgeons aim to keep a person’s valve if possible. By performing a repair rather than a replacem ..read more

If you’re eligible for heart valve surgery, there’s a chance your mitral valve disease or aortic valve disease is at a serious level; you cannot ignore the disease when it is this severe, and medication will not be able to manage the damage or the symptoms you’re experiencing. Talk to a heart valve surgeon about the surgery and find out if you are a good candidate for it. Find out what type of heart valve surgery is the best for your current condition. Be armed with many questions for your doctor. Surgery is a big deal, and it’s important to be an informed patient. Surgery can be scary, but i ..read more

Did you know there is a link between depression and heart disease? The mind is a powerful thing; it’s connected to your entire body, so it’s no wonder that when it’s not doing well it can have harmful, physical affects on other parts of the body.  Both depression and heart disease are often interconnected and can occur together. One study from the 1990s followed people with coronary artery disease over a 12-month period. This study found that whether or not a patient had a major depressive disorder was a predictor for future cardiac events. Depression’s effects on the heart were as stron ..read more

Heart valves allow blood to move forward (not backward). If the blood flows or leaks backwards, there is a problem with a valve. When the heart pumps blood, it’s pushing the blood forward so oxygen-filled blood can reach every inch of the body. The heart has four valves: Left-side valves (mitral valve and aortic valve) and right-side valves (tricuspid valve and pulmonic valve). The mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle; the aortic valve is between the left ventricle and the body; the tricuspid valve is between the right atrium and right ventricle; the pulmonic v ..read more