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Patient Update: Koert Travels from California to New York for a Ross Procedure by Dr. Paul Stelzer

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: May 19, 2024

Hearing from patients about their heart valve success stories is my favorite part of running the HeartValveSurgery.com community.

For example, here is the fantastic patient story of Koert Takkunen, a 52-year bicuspid aortic valve and aortic aneurysm patient from El Dorado Hills, California (which is just outside of Sacramento).

Dr. Paul Stelzer with Ross Procedure Patient

Koert Takkunen and Dr. Paul Stelzer at Mount Sinai Hospital

On March 6, Koert called me to discuss his treatment options. Given his diagnosis, Koert was interested to learn more about the Ross Procedure which is an advanced form of aortic valve replacement that has several patient advantages compared to mechanical and bioprosthetic valves including survival, durability and quality-of-life.

After watching this educational webinar that features Dr. Paul Stelzer and Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy discussing the patient advantages of the Ross Procedure, Koert wanted to get a second opinion from Dr. Stelzer.

So you know, Dr. Stelzer is a world-renowned Ross Procedure surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Specific to the Ross Procedure, Dr. Stelzer is often referred to as a "living legend" as he has performed 829 Ross Procedures.

The most amazing thing happened next.

Within hours of connecting Koert with Dr. Stelzer's office, Koert was scheduled for a consult with Dr. Stelzer. Shortly thereafter, Koert scheduled his surgery for early May.

After His Ross Procedure, Koert Says...

On May 17, I was happy to receive the following update from Koert:

Adam, Hope you are well. I am one week post-op and I saw Dr. Stelzer earlier today. I was cleared to travel home from New York to California tonight. I walked 3.2 miles earlie today and hit a spirometer reading of 2500.
Most days I don't feel like I need the Tylenol and I'm completely off the oxycontin.
So you know, Dr. Stelzer and Dr. Robin Varghese were equal partners in my surgery. Each doctor was intimately involved with every detail of the process and very positive outcome thus far.

Dr. Robin Varghese

There were so many other key members in surgery that supported those two in my outcome, in my extremely short ICU stay, and my rapid recovery. The intensive care unit nurses and step down nurses also key. While more of an administrator, Dr. Stelzer's right-hand woman, Maria Cruz, was on top of scheduling and coordination that reduced my stress up too, during and after surgery.
I am so grateful to you... Beyond words. If I can ever be of assistance to another patient, please don't hesitate to call on me. I am in debt. Thank you!

Woo-Hoo! Go Koert! Go!

Wait! What? A Video from Koert's Operation?

Then, in a surprise follow-up email, Koert informed me that Dr. Stelzer had given Koert a video filmed during his operation. As you will see below, this video clearly shows the severe stenosis of Koert's aortic valve as one of the leaflets... does... not... move. Yikes!

Koert wrote to me, "The video shows how bad my valve was."

Thanks Koert! Thanks Dr. Stelzer & Mount Sinai!

I am so very thankful to Koert for providing me the opportunity to be of service to him throughout his journey to a healthy heart. Like me, Koert is a SCUBA diver. Hopefully, someday in the future, the two of us might be able to go on a dive together. (For more, see "17 Years After Ross Procedure, I SCUBA Dive".)

And, many, many, many thanks to Dr. Paul Stelzer and the entire team at Mount Sinai for taking such great care of Koert so quickly. Great job Mount Sinai!

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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