Life Changing Is ... Blazing New Trails

Kent, Heart Surgery

"The amazing thing is ... as challenging as that surgery was, I was literally up and out of bed the next day."

As a husband and father in his mid-40s, Kent was frightened by the idea of open heart surgery.

But after Kent experienced months of night sweats, weight loss, and major fatigue, UPMC Passavant doctors discovered he had mitral valve failure.

He learned after a trip to the emergency department that an infection was attacking his already weakened heart valve. The condition was life-threatening.

He needed open heart surgery to repair his valve.

Luckily, UPMC Passavant provides comprehensive cardiovascular care as part of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. His team of surgeons and experts took an individualized, compassionate approach to his care and recovery.

“The amazing thing is ... as challenging as that surgery was, I was literally up and out of bed the next day thanks to the folks at UPMC,” Kent says. “They were very encouraging and positive. I think they were one of the major reasons that I was able to get back on my feet so quickly."

Kent was back home less than a week after his surgery and back to work after two weeks.

About a month after his surgery, he was back on his mountain bike —something he’d been eager to get back to.

“The team at UPMC wanted to make sure that my story had a happy ending,” he says.

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means helping patients get back on their feet — or bike —faster.

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