Julie was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart defect where the heart’s aortic valve has only two leaflets instead of three. She and her family knew that one day, Julie would need open heart surgery to repair her condition. Julie regularly saw a pediatric cardiologist to monitor her health until transitioning to an adult cardiologist.
Julie stayed active throughout her adult years. She worked as a nurse at UPMC Presbyterian for more than 10 years, she is physically active, and is involved coaching sports for her two daughters. During a regular visit with her cardiologist, Saul Silver, MD, a routine echocardiogram showed that Julie had severe aortic stenosis, the narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve.
“At this point, I was relatively asymptomatic,” says Julie. “When the results showed that my condition was severe, I wanted to be my own advocate. I began researching and evaluating different centers for care.”
Julie needed an aortic valve replacement, where the diseased or damaged aortic valve is replaced with a new, mechanical one. She had been in contact with a surgeon at another center and was on the verge of getting care elsewhere.
“That’s when I was contacted by the Cardiothoracic Department at UPMC,” says Julie. “I spoke with Dr. Sultan on a virtual visit and I immediately felt a comfort with him. He was great.”
Ibrahim Sultan, MD, is the chief of the Division of Cardiac Surgery, executive vice chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and co-director of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. He is also the co-director of the UPMC Center for Aortic Disease, a unique program that brings together experts across multiple disciplines to care for patients with aortic disease.
“After speaking with Dr. Sultan, I took 24 hours to think about my decision. I called him back the next day to let him know that I would be moving forward with the team at UPMC.”
A few weeks before the surgery, Julie and her husband took a trip to UPMC to meet with Dr. Sultan.
“When I met Dr. Sultan in person, I immediately knew that I made the right decision,” says Julie. “We felt at ease with him. Dr. Sultan was professional and comforting at the same time.”
On Sept. 15, Julie underwent aortic valve replacement at UPMC. The procedure went well, and Julie spent the next few days resting and recovering at the hospital.
“My daughters came to see me at the hospital a few days after my surgery. On day four, I was able to go home,” Julie said. “I was amazed that by the end of the first week, I was back to about 60%. There were some challenges to get used to with this new valve, but I had a great recovery.”
Julie saw Dr. Sultan at five weeks post-operation. She was cleared to go back to her normal lifestyle.
“I was back to walking and exercising and felt great,” says Julie.
Julie regularly sees Dr. Silver to closely monitor her condition. She’s back to her active lifestyle, coaching soccer and basketball, working full time, and keeping up with her two daughters.
“I knew that at some point in my life, I would need open heart surgery,” says Julie. “I wanted to make sure that I had all the information to make the best decision possible. It’s important to take a step back and do your research. I owe my life to Dr. Sultan and the team at UPMC.”
Julie’s treatment and results may not be representative of similar cases.
