Robert Blayden Calls TAVR 'A Gift'
“I am fortunate that my primary care doctor referred me to Dr. Myla
and that he was aware of TAVR. His skill sets enabled me to go through
this procedure,” he said. “I have had a win-win with good
medical support.”
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 evaluate early
treatment with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally
invasive procedure, in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are not
experiencing symptoms. Traditionally, patients are monitored for disease
progression, and if otherwise healthy, are recommended for open heart
surgery to replace their aortic valve – which leads to a longer
and more arduous recovery period.
For patients like Robert who participated in the study, TAVR took less
than an hour and recovery lasted a week. During a TAVR procedure, an artificial
valve is inserted via a catheter that is led up to the heart from a small
incision in the leg.
“It’s remarkable. It’s non-invasive. You don’t
feel hurt or sore. There are no after affects,” he said. “It’s
a minor miracle.”
Robert had lived for years with a heart murmur that didn’t seem to
impede his lifestyle. But when he switched primary care physicians, his
new Hoag Medical Group doctor, Amit Hiteshi, M.D., referred him to Subbarao
Myla, M.D., program director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories
at Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute.
His heart murmur seemed to be worsening. An amateur photographer and avid
traveler, Robert and his wife had been active and on-the-go for years.
Shortly before the procedure, however, Robert started to experience shortness
of breath and fatigue that threatened to slow him down.
“I am fortunate that my primary care doctor referred me to Dr. Myla
and that he was aware of TAVR. His skill sets enabled me to go through
this procedure,” he said. “I have had a win-win with good
medical support.”
Robert is especially grateful that his symptoms didn’t manifest earlier.
Since he was participating in the clinical trial he was able to have the
unique advantage of quickly receiving a TAVR procedure once he developed symptoms.
“I thought the trial would benefit me because I didn’t like
the idea of having a valve replaced by a non-invasive surgical approach,”
he said. “I would have resisted it as long as possible.”
Robert said he immediately felt comfortable with the cardiac team, particularly
with surgeon Anthony Caffarelli, M.D., whose friendly nature put Robert at ease.
“He walks up and says, ‘Hi, I’m Tony,’” Robert
said. “You automatically like him.”
In fact, Robert and his wife liked absolutely everyone they came in contact
with related to the trial, the procedure and the recovery. They tried
to jot down everyone’s names so they wouldn’t forget.
There were Drs. Hiteshi, Myla and Caffarelli. Peggy Morley, DNP, ANP-BC,
CCNS the nurse practitioner who helped explain the procedure. Cardiovascular
surgeon Aidan A. Raney, M.D., James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in
Cardiovascular Surgery, who helped evaluate Robert before he entered the
trial. The list goes on.
“One thing I have never understood about Hoag: the HR department,”
Robert said. “Whatever their secret is, it’s unbelievable.
Everyone they hire is a 10-plus. They are the best, the nicest. From the
doctors down to the people who come in to clean the room.”
Robert often reminds himself how lucky he was to be part of such an important
trial, and the opportunity to receive this innovative care. “I tell
everyone I know about the amazing benefits of a less invasive TAVR procedure,
and the team that supported me along the way.”