Joe's Profile

I was diagnosed with MVP in 2002. Every two years I was monitored by my cardiologist with an echocardiogram, stress test, and calcium CT. As of my visit in April 2020, everything looked good with only mild regurgitation, with no progression and no symptoms. I didn't realize it at the time, but around October 10, 2021, I suffered a chordae rupture leading to complete mitral valve failure. Symptoms were extreme shortness of breath, high RHR (125+), and coughing up blood after exertion. Diagnosis was severe mitral regurgitation with pulmonary hypertension. After reviewing the data from a L&R heart catheterization and TEE, the surgeon felt 95% confident in a repair vs. replacement, and said I was a candidate for minimally invasive surgery which was performed on November 2, 2021. Procedure was a minimally invasive mitral valve repair, attaching two Neo Gore-Tex chords to the flailed posterior leaflet, repair of a leaflet cleft that was found, and placement of a 38 mm annuloplasty ring.