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We Celebrate Dr. Accola's 18,000th Cardiac Surgery!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: October 15, 2025

In 2010, I became familiar with the name Dr. Kevin Accola. At that time, Dr. Accola's patients, including Richard Cooper, Donna Wilson and Duane Hunt, were posting patient reviews about this humble, heart valve expert at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida.

So, I reached out to Dr. Accola to thank him for his service, to learn more about his practice, and to see if Dr. Accola had any interest in helping me build an educational website dedicated to valvular disorders like aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. I remember the call as if it was yesterday. After hearing a few of my ideas, Dr. Accola said to me, "Adam, I love what you're doing. It's so important to educate patients - especially using a grassroots approach in which patients can talk to other patients and share their experiences."

Dr. Kevin Accola Celebrates 18,000 Cardiac Surgeries

Fast forward to 2025...

Dr. Accola has been one of our greatest supporters during the past fifteen years. Time-and-time again, Dr. Accola has educated and empowered our patient community while providing superior care to many, many, many patients. Dr. Accola has performed over 8,000 heart valve replacement and heart valve repair operations throughout his extraordinary 30-year career.

For example, here is Dr. Accola answering a patient question from Amy Berger about the use of small incisions for valve therapy. It turns out that Amy ultimately had a successful aortic valve replacement surgery with Dr. Accola.

Many, Many, Many Thanks Dr. Accola!

As Dr. Accola celebrates his 18,000th cardiac surgery and his 30th year in cardiac surgery, I want to join the celebration and offer my thanks to this incredible person who has been such a wonderful source of encouragement over the years.

Dr. Kevin Accola

At LinkedIn, Roosevelt A., a fan of Dr. Accola's posted:

"Today at AdventHealth Central Florida we celebrated Dr. Accola, his 18,000 surgeries and his 30+ years of service! You'll absolutely be missed and I'm grateful to have witnessed your legacy of leading cardiac care in body, mind and spirit!"

I could not agree more. It has been a honor and privilege to work with and know Dr. Accola over the years! All the best to you and your family!

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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