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Surgeon Q&A: Why Is The AATS Mitral Conclave So Important for Patients?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 8, 2023

Last week at the AATS Mitral Conclave in New York City, the world's leading mitral valve experts connected for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This conference was downright amazing and I was lucky to attend.

I felt even more lucky when I had a special opportunity to interview Dr. David Adams, a Program Director of the AATS Mitral Conclave and the Cardiac Surgeon-in-Chief at the Mount Sinai Health System. So you know, Dr. Adams is a mitral valve guru who performs over 400 mitral valve surgeries per year. Watch this video with Dr. Adams to learn why the AATS Mitral Conclave is so important for you and your heart.

Thanks Dr. Adams and the AATS Mitral Conclave!

On behalf of our patient community, thanks so much to Dr. David Adams, the attendees, and the organizers of the AATS Mitral Conclave. I realize how challenging it must be to plan and manage this conference for the first time since the pandemic began. That said, the AATS Mitral Conclave was amazing!!!

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Keep on tickin!
Adam

P.S. For the deaf and hard of hearing members of our community, I have provided a written transcript of this video below.

Adam Pick: Hi, everybody. It's Adam with heartvalvesurgery.com. We are at the Mitral Conclave in New York City. I am thrilled to be joined by Dr. David Adams who is one of the program directors of the Mitral Conclave. He's also the surgeon in chief of cardiac surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System here in New York City. Dr. Adams…

Dr. Adams: It's good to see you again.

Adam Pick: It is. We've known each other a long time. Haven't seen each other since COVID began, but it is great to be here. It's great to be at the Mitral Conclave. We've got over 1,000 healthcare professionals here, 45 educational sessions going on. I've got to ask you the big question. For the patients watching this, why is this conference, this Mitral Conclave, so important?

Dr. Adams: Adam, we conceived this meeting in 2011 and we've done it every other year since then. Just as you said, what this meeting brings together are the world leaders in mitral surgery. Here today, we have 52 countries represented. Really, the world really does come together in New York for this meeting. We examine every facet of mitral valve disease, every [01:19] every strategy. You hear from multiple experts, their own unique ideas about how to deal with things.

One of the things I will tell patients is that all the attendees here, they leave and they're better mitral surgeons and they're better able to take care of you. That was the vision for this meeting. It wasn't to have a few of us come and you just learn our way. It was really to come and learn all the ways. We have open discussions and debates and you can see some of the rooms that have actually been quite lively. We don't always agree, but I think we always come away with one central thing which is we're trying to do the right thing for patients with mitral valve disease.

Adam Pick: Do the right thing for patients with mitral valve disease you have. Whether it's your personal time, doing over 400 mitral valve surgeries a year, being one of the leads for the Mitral Foundation, going on medical missions that I've been fortunate to be with you on, I cannot thank you enough for taking care and looking out for patients with valve disease. Dr. Adams, it's always a gift seeing you. Thanks so much.

Dr. Adams: Thanks, Adam. Thank you very much.

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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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