Technology

When Robert Blayden thinks about the circumstances of his valve replacement surgery – the timing, the hospital, the physicians – it’s as though the stars aligned. “I think about it every once in a while,” said Robert, 82. “What a gift I received.” Robert was part of a clinical trial at Hoag last year to … Read More

Gary Whitener knew his heart was in trouble a few years ago when he would get winded climbing a flight of stairs. Subbarao Myla, M.D., F.A.C.C., cardiologist and director of Hoag Cardiac Cath Labs, said Gary’s heart valve was damaged, and recommended he be evaluated for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Gary underwent the hour-long … Read More

Ken Darby was in pain. His aortic valve had grown so calcified, his cardiologist likened it to porcelain. He couldn’t walk up hills without getting winded, he was tired all the time, and a trip he and his wife, Annette, had planned to France had to be put on hold. He needed surgery. Darby had … Read More