Jack Eade

On March 4, 2004, 58-year-old Jack Eade of Bellflower, California underwent heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. The valve was a true bicuspid valve, a rare birth defect, and was functioning less effectively over time. For years, Jack had a heart murmur and his cardiologist, Dr. Kaushal Tamboli of Downey, said that his valve would eventually need to be replaced. After a heart attack in 1994 and three angioplasty procedures over the next seven years, Jack's heart was being monitored regularly.

		As pressure increased within his heart, the time came for valve replacement surgery. Jack's wife, Susan, a registered ICU/CCU nurse and Clinical Educator, had seen many patients in her nursing career who had problems with warfarin, the anticoagulant required for life with mechanical valves. She helped research Jack's choices of valves and determined that a bioprosthetic, or tissue, valve was the best choice to avoid long-term medication and its associated complications. They also researched cardiac surgeons in the area and found Dr. Daniel Bethencourt at Long Beach Memorial Hospital who recommended the Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna aortic heart valve and performed the surgery through a small, four-inch incision.
Jack returned to work full-time in less than a month. He is in good spirits and health, thanks to new technology and the vigilance and care of his excellent medical team.