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Heart Hospital Tour: The Carilion Clinic

By Adam Pick on April 1, 2015

Two years ago at the TCT conference in San Francisco, I was very fortunate to connect with Dr. Jason Foerst, an interventional cardiologist that specializes in transcatheter valve therapy. When we met, Dr. Foerst was going through the process of launching a Heart Valve Clinic -- which is no easy task.

Fast forward 24 months... I am thrilled to report that Dr. Foerst and the his team achieved their goal. The Carilion Heart Valve Clinic is now helping patients who need both surgical therapy and non-invasive transcatheter treatment for aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.

On a recent trip through Virginia, I went inside the the Carilion Clinic to learn more. Here are the highlights from my tour:

Advances in Heart Valve Therapy with Dr. Rowe

As I toured the clinic, I also connected with Dr. Joseph Rowe, a cardiac surgeon who has successfully treated several members in our community including Michael Siska and Bobby Broughman. During our chat, I asked Dr. Rowe the question, "What are the 3 most significant advances in heart valve therapy during your 14-year career?" Here is Dr. Rowe's answer:

Dr. Baker's Approach to Patient Care

The chief of cardiovascular surgery at Carilion Clinic is Dr. Joseph Baker. During his 24-year career, Dr. Baker has performed over 5,000 heart operations. I was curious to learn about Dr. Baker's approach to patient care. In particular, I wanted to know what excites him about valve therapy and how he helps patients, their families and friends through the complex surgical process. Here's what Dr. Baker said:

Many thanks to the Carilion Clinic for providing a special opportunity to tour its heart valve clinic. I would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Foerst, Dr. Slowikowski, Dr. Baker, Dr. Rowe, Dr. Ball, Sherre Emore and Laura Markowski. Also, we are thrilled to have Carilion as one of the newest sponsors of this website.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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