I don't know about you, but I am a very visual person. For some reason, diagrams, pictures, illustrations always help me better understand concepts. As a result, I could really relate to Wendy's question about heart valve replacement diagrams.

It is perhaps one of the most common and appropriate questions I receive from patients and their caregivers. That question is, "What is my life expectancy after heart valve surgery?"

Considering the recent Swine Flu outbreak, I've received several emails about flu shots and heart valve surgery.

I just received a great patient story from Connie Batich. Considering that Connie's note touches on so many elements of heart valve surgery - diagnosis, symptoms, second opinions, angiograms, vent tubes, atrial fibrillation, recovery - I thought you might appreciate reading about her experience. Here is what Connie wrote to me:

Considering my fascination with medical technology, I recently came across an interesting video about the use of stem cells to create heart valve replacements for the treatment of valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. That said, I thought you might find this video very interesting:

I guess this patient success story would classify as ironic.

A few years back, Research and Markets published their "Top 25 Manufacturers of Heart Valve Repair And Heart Valve Replacement Devices".

As we have discussed, the competitive market for minimally invasive heart valve replacements and heart valve repair continues to heat up.

Elissa was recently diagnosed with severe mitral regurgitation due to mitral valve prolapse.

I'll never forget when I learned my options for a heart valve replacement.

When it comes to making investments, I'm no Warren Buffet.

Use of Coumadin for patients that select a mechanical valve replacement is typically required to prevent blood clots. As a result, many pre-surgical patients considering a mechanical valve (versus a tissue valve) often wonder, "What is life like on Coumadin?"

I'm not a fan of overused cliches. However, if there is one cliche I never get tired of it is, "Laughter is the best form of medicine."

I recently learned that the manufacturer of On-X heart valve devices is going to double the size of its operations in Austin, Texas. The parent company, On-X Life Technologies (ON-X LTI), signed a building lease for over 40,000 square feet due to the result of increased demand for its On-X mechanical valves for mitral valve and aortic valve replacement.

Patients selecting mechanical heart valve replacements are typically required to monitor their INR levels (international normalized ratio) to prevent risks of blood clotting, hemorrhage or stroke.

Are you ready for some interesting trivia about heart valve replacement devices?

You don't have to be Warren Buffet to know that investments in heart valve companies may pay off big time in the future.

Selecting a mechanical or bioprosthetic heart valve replacement prior to surgery is not easy. There are pros and cons to both types of valve replacement devices. On that note, Jodi just emailed me about one side effect of aortic mechanical valve replacements... The clicking noise.

Talk about an incredible doctor and cutting-edge technology!

I just received this interesting email from Margaret. She had mechanical valve replacement surgery almost 27 years ago. I thought you would appreciate her thoughts about surgery and the clicking noise of mechanical heart valves.