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Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule
Posted by Shannon
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Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 05, 2015 01:43AM |
Admin Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 2,779 |
Its around 10pm here in La Jolla at the Hilton Torrey Pines which is very busy hosting the PGA tour Farmers Insurance Open tournament which gets underway fully tomorrow. Apparently, it was a minor miracle of serendipity that I was able to get a room here as late as Jan 18th when the whole place has been sold out for a full year for this week!
I lucked out by calling exactly as a cancellation happened to be reported it seems.
In any event, as my sixth procedure here at Scripps since last June (6 counting a two in one MRI scan plus first 3D TEE last June ... Amplatzer ADOII LAA leak plug procedure in July and now two follow up 3D TEEs in October and today) I am increasingly very impressed by the entire operation here at Scripps from the nurses and staff to the physicians with a high level of excellence all around.
Neither Dr Natale nor Dr Price who did my ADOII plug procedure are in town here this week, but Dr David Rubensen was and he is just who I need to see this time, Dr Rubensen is a premier TEE expert and guru who is well known all over the US from his books and many research articles and the many cardios who he has trained to be good TEE operators themselves.
This was my second TEE with him and it was a privilege. Not only is he an incredibly gentle and kind man, and one who has not a trace of egotism ... a pattern that seems to be familiar with the elite calibre level of colleagues that Dr Natale tends to associate with.
Dr Rubensen at first was not going to be able to do my procedure today as his own conference is starting tonight in which TEE Cardiologist from all over are traveling to learn the cutting edge issues in TEE from Dr Rubensen the next few days, and yet he was kind enough to come in to the hospital on this day off today, when he could have better used his time to work on his presentations, just to do my TEE, knowing how much I valued his expertise.
The whole thing was a snap, as usual, and afterward Dr R told me the result was as perfect as it can be and he was very pleased that the plug device looks identical to the way it looked in October .. meaning perfectly sealed with no leaks whatsoever and surely fully covered by endothelial tissue now.
He said he got some fabulously clear images today of my plug device in place, which I will have copies of shortly, and that he was going to use my case to impress on all the attending cardio's at his conference how important it is to use only a 3D-TEE and not try to rely on standard 2D-TEE when it comes to imaging LARIAT issues and follow ups for LARIATS and other LAA exclusion devices.
My case, with my small stroke from the late LARIAT leak, apparently is one of the first to really underscore the need to use only 3D TEE imaging when the 2D TEE first tried in Austin a few days after my stroke failed to reveal a clear consensus if I even had a leak. Dr Natale felt he could see a small leak (and he was right, while it was not clear to other cardio's who looked at it there) and so Dr N sent me to Scripps where, as most of you know he has a had a long time affiliation and does ablations and further training and mentoring there of other skilled and talented EPs at Scripps Green Hospital at Torrey Pines which is a widely renowned imaging center.
Last June, Dr N first prescribed a special MagnaSafe MRI protocol for people like me with pacemakers, and immediately after confirming my small stroke and that its origin was from LAA region debrie, their 3D-TEE captured my 4 to 5mm diameter LAA leak clear and a bell and in living color which was so obvious on the higher resolution crystal found in the 3D-TEE probe head.
In any event, I may have to do one more TEE follow up still yet, due to the still very new procedure that I had last June, but its only a formality now it seems.
And of this now 10th total TEE I have had so far and hopefully the last one coming up with be the last, the two I had with Dr Rubensen I barely have felt any throat raspiness or irritation at all! Id like thank especially too Linda Couts, Dr Natale's superb Nurse Practitioner who really is a great credit to Dr N and to Scripps. Linda once again made sure I was well taken care of throughout my day there yesterday, insuring too that Dr Rubensen would stay until I had woken from the propofol to be able to share with me the great news of the TEE results, since both Dr Price who, as my attending Doc on this case having done my Plug procedure and Dr Natale were both not on campus yesterday. She then went out of her way to walk me over to the hotel since I was alone and just released from anesthesia recovery and I had to have some one with me to leave. Many thanks once again Linda!
Tomorrow I drive up to LA in my rental car for the 3rd Annual International Symposium on the LAA which is fortuitously being held just two hours drive north of here the day after my scheduled TEE! I will see Drs Natale, DiBiase, Lakkireddy, Pete Weiss, Doug Gibson there as well as many other top EPs the next few days and hear all the latest insights from EPs, interventional Cardio's and Cardiac Surgeons on how each specialty deals with the LAA and its key role in heart and overall health.
After flying back home on Sunday, I will then be cranking out the next AFIB Report the next 12 to 14 days and sharing the key new issues of interest I learn this weekend with you all in the upcoming AFIB Report as I gradually get back in the saddle here after Magdalena's surgery and cancer scare of the last two months. I plan on having the Feb/March issues out around Feb 20 - 24 time frame, still well within our Feb/March issue timeline. Many thanks for everyone's understanding with this minor delay beyond the usual time frame for publication of this issue, under the unavoidable circumstances.
Time for sleep now,
Be well all!
Shannon
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2015 11:35AM by Shannon.
I lucked out by calling exactly as a cancellation happened to be reported it seems.
In any event, as my sixth procedure here at Scripps since last June (6 counting a two in one MRI scan plus first 3D TEE last June ... Amplatzer ADOII LAA leak plug procedure in July and now two follow up 3D TEEs in October and today) I am increasingly very impressed by the entire operation here at Scripps from the nurses and staff to the physicians with a high level of excellence all around.
Neither Dr Natale nor Dr Price who did my ADOII plug procedure are in town here this week, but Dr David Rubensen was and he is just who I need to see this time, Dr Rubensen is a premier TEE expert and guru who is well known all over the US from his books and many research articles and the many cardios who he has trained to be good TEE operators themselves.
This was my second TEE with him and it was a privilege. Not only is he an incredibly gentle and kind man, and one who has not a trace of egotism ... a pattern that seems to be familiar with the elite calibre level of colleagues that Dr Natale tends to associate with.
Dr Rubensen at first was not going to be able to do my procedure today as his own conference is starting tonight in which TEE Cardiologist from all over are traveling to learn the cutting edge issues in TEE from Dr Rubensen the next few days, and yet he was kind enough to come in to the hospital on this day off today, when he could have better used his time to work on his presentations, just to do my TEE, knowing how much I valued his expertise.
The whole thing was a snap, as usual, and afterward Dr R told me the result was as perfect as it can be and he was very pleased that the plug device looks identical to the way it looked in October .. meaning perfectly sealed with no leaks whatsoever and surely fully covered by endothelial tissue now.
He said he got some fabulously clear images today of my plug device in place, which I will have copies of shortly, and that he was going to use my case to impress on all the attending cardio's at his conference how important it is to use only a 3D-TEE and not try to rely on standard 2D-TEE when it comes to imaging LARIAT issues and follow ups for LARIATS and other LAA exclusion devices.
My case, with my small stroke from the late LARIAT leak, apparently is one of the first to really underscore the need to use only 3D TEE imaging when the 2D TEE first tried in Austin a few days after my stroke failed to reveal a clear consensus if I even had a leak. Dr Natale felt he could see a small leak (and he was right, while it was not clear to other cardio's who looked at it there) and so Dr N sent me to Scripps where, as most of you know he has a had a long time affiliation and does ablations and further training and mentoring there of other skilled and talented EPs at Scripps Green Hospital at Torrey Pines which is a widely renowned imaging center.
Last June, Dr N first prescribed a special MagnaSafe MRI protocol for people like me with pacemakers, and immediately after confirming my small stroke and that its origin was from LAA region debrie, their 3D-TEE captured my 4 to 5mm diameter LAA leak clear and a bell and in living color which was so obvious on the higher resolution crystal found in the 3D-TEE probe head.
In any event, I may have to do one more TEE follow up still yet, due to the still very new procedure that I had last June, but its only a formality now it seems.
And of this now 10th total TEE I have had so far and hopefully the last one coming up with be the last, the two I had with Dr Rubensen I barely have felt any throat raspiness or irritation at all! Id like thank especially too Linda Couts, Dr Natale's superb Nurse Practitioner who really is a great credit to Dr N and to Scripps. Linda once again made sure I was well taken care of throughout my day there yesterday, insuring too that Dr Rubensen would stay until I had woken from the propofol to be able to share with me the great news of the TEE results, since both Dr Price who, as my attending Doc on this case having done my Plug procedure and Dr Natale were both not on campus yesterday. She then went out of her way to walk me over to the hotel since I was alone and just released from anesthesia recovery and I had to have some one with me to leave. Many thanks once again Linda!
Tomorrow I drive up to LA in my rental car for the 3rd Annual International Symposium on the LAA which is fortuitously being held just two hours drive north of here the day after my scheduled TEE! I will see Drs Natale, DiBiase, Lakkireddy, Pete Weiss, Doug Gibson there as well as many other top EPs the next few days and hear all the latest insights from EPs, interventional Cardio's and Cardiac Surgeons on how each specialty deals with the LAA and its key role in heart and overall health.
After flying back home on Sunday, I will then be cranking out the next AFIB Report the next 12 to 14 days and sharing the key new issues of interest I learn this weekend with you all in the upcoming AFIB Report as I gradually get back in the saddle here after Magdalena's surgery and cancer scare of the last two months. I plan on having the Feb/March issues out around Feb 20 - 24 time frame, still well within our Feb/March issue timeline. Many thanks for everyone's understanding with this minor delay beyond the usual time frame for publication of this issue, under the unavoidable circumstances.
Time for sleep now,
Be well all!
Shannon
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2015 11:35AM by Shannon.
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 05, 2015 08:30AM |
Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 32 |
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 05, 2015 04:27PM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 142 |
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 06, 2015 10:09PM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 133 |
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 07, 2015 01:57AM |
Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 57 |
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 07, 2015 11:07PM |
Admin Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 2,779 |
Many thanks Larry, Dennis, JohnB and Craigh,
I appreciate the best wishes!
Just finished the 3rd Annual International Symposium on Left Atrial Appendage conference here in Marina Del Rey along the LA coast near LAX airport. It was another really excellent conference. I really enjoy this conference best of all that I have attended so far in the AFIB world after having gone last year as well as to Boston AFIB held in Orlando now, and a couple of other interesting conferences.
I'll share some of the key points in the upcoming AFIB Report that once home tomorrow evening, I can now make my main focus the next two weeks until it is done.
Yet, this collaborative conference between truly elite level physician leaders from the EP, Interventional Cardiology (IC) and Cardiac Surgeon (CS) worlds is really special. The sharing and germinating of ideas from each cardiac specialty is what makes this such a unique gathering and I can see why such heavy weights from all over the world make such an effort to attend and speak here.
Renowned IC cardio Horst Sievert from Frankfurt Germany, thought enough of it to be here for his two scheduled talks today that he flew in non-stop from Frankfurt to LA today arriving around 1pm .. gave two talks over and hour and a half stay, stopping just long enough to wash his face in the mens room beside the conference room in the Marina Del Rey Marriott, and was whisked right back to LAX for another 11hr flight back to Frankfurt leaving at 4:50pm ... now that's dedication!!
I met a number of well known names in the field that I had not yet had the pleasure to hear or meet as yet, including Dr. James Cox inventor of the Cox-Maze surgical maze procedure back in the last 80s. Some, tI had not yet had the pleasure to hear or meet as yet, as well as those I've come to know a bit better each time Ive been able to attend these invaluable gatherings.
Now its time to unwind this evening before an early morning flight. No room for anything else in the memory banks at the moment, but a good long rest before flying home.
Much more later as there are many interesting and exciting developments around the vitally important topic of this little left atrial appendage thing in our hearts.
The late leak in my LAA from the loosening LARIAT ligation that subsequently caused the small stroke I had last May and led to the Amplatzer ADOII repair job, became the topic of a discussion among a panel of key experts from all three specialties which was interesting indeed.
The big hope and expectation is for the Watchman device to finally earn FDA approval in the next few months to half year at most, if not sooner, even if with some temporary restrictions. In any event, it is eagerly awaited not only because an in-depth analysis of the wealth of data now there on this LAA occlusion device certainly warrants approval, but that once the Watchman earns this approval it will open the flood gates to a great deal of financing and research efforts toward a number or other important evolutions in LAA exclusion devices and techniques which will be good news for a growing number of us.
There is even a new improved version of the LARIAT called the LARIAT-Plus (or LARIAT+) that offers several real advances in design to help make the procedure both easier, safer and more effective. Ditto for a new version of the Watchman on tap called Watchman-Flex.
Anyway, more on all that in the AFIB Report and in some threads here over the coming days. Needless to say, the importance of addressing the LAA, not only as a key arrhythmo-genic region of the heart, but as well as by far the largest source of LA origin strokes and thrombo-emboli, has taken a major jump in interest and focus even from the excitement and focus on this issue that inspired the first two years of this conference's existence, with the 4th annual ISLAA already in planning for next year as well.
When Dr Natale started his pioneering investigation and development of LAA isolation ablation some 7 to 8 years ago, around the same time as the early stages of Watchman development, LAA exclusion and management issues were still very much on the back burner across the full spectrum of cardiology and neurology ... no longer indeed!
Shannon
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2015 01:38AM by Shannon.
I appreciate the best wishes!
Just finished the 3rd Annual International Symposium on Left Atrial Appendage conference here in Marina Del Rey along the LA coast near LAX airport. It was another really excellent conference. I really enjoy this conference best of all that I have attended so far in the AFIB world after having gone last year as well as to Boston AFIB held in Orlando now, and a couple of other interesting conferences.
I'll share some of the key points in the upcoming AFIB Report that once home tomorrow evening, I can now make my main focus the next two weeks until it is done.
Yet, this collaborative conference between truly elite level physician leaders from the EP, Interventional Cardiology (IC) and Cardiac Surgeon (CS) worlds is really special. The sharing and germinating of ideas from each cardiac specialty is what makes this such a unique gathering and I can see why such heavy weights from all over the world make such an effort to attend and speak here.
Renowned IC cardio Horst Sievert from Frankfurt Germany, thought enough of it to be here for his two scheduled talks today that he flew in non-stop from Frankfurt to LA today arriving around 1pm .. gave two talks over and hour and a half stay, stopping just long enough to wash his face in the mens room beside the conference room in the Marina Del Rey Marriott, and was whisked right back to LAX for another 11hr flight back to Frankfurt leaving at 4:50pm ... now that's dedication!!
I met a number of well known names in the field that I had not yet had the pleasure to hear or meet as yet, including Dr. James Cox inventor of the Cox-Maze surgical maze procedure back in the last 80s. Some, tI had not yet had the pleasure to hear or meet as yet, as well as those I've come to know a bit better each time Ive been able to attend these invaluable gatherings.
Now its time to unwind this evening before an early morning flight. No room for anything else in the memory banks at the moment, but a good long rest before flying home.
Much more later as there are many interesting and exciting developments around the vitally important topic of this little left atrial appendage thing in our hearts.
The late leak in my LAA from the loosening LARIAT ligation that subsequently caused the small stroke I had last May and led to the Amplatzer ADOII repair job, became the topic of a discussion among a panel of key experts from all three specialties which was interesting indeed.
The big hope and expectation is for the Watchman device to finally earn FDA approval in the next few months to half year at most, if not sooner, even if with some temporary restrictions. In any event, it is eagerly awaited not only because an in-depth analysis of the wealth of data now there on this LAA occlusion device certainly warrants approval, but that once the Watchman earns this approval it will open the flood gates to a great deal of financing and research efforts toward a number or other important evolutions in LAA exclusion devices and techniques which will be good news for a growing number of us.
There is even a new improved version of the LARIAT called the LARIAT-Plus (or LARIAT+) that offers several real advances in design to help make the procedure both easier, safer and more effective. Ditto for a new version of the Watchman on tap called Watchman-Flex.
Anyway, more on all that in the AFIB Report and in some threads here over the coming days. Needless to say, the importance of addressing the LAA, not only as a key arrhythmo-genic region of the heart, but as well as by far the largest source of LA origin strokes and thrombo-emboli, has taken a major jump in interest and focus even from the excitement and focus on this issue that inspired the first two years of this conference's existence, with the 4th annual ISLAA already in planning for next year as well.
When Dr Natale started his pioneering investigation and development of LAA isolation ablation some 7 to 8 years ago, around the same time as the early stages of Watchman development, LAA exclusion and management issues were still very much on the back burner across the full spectrum of cardiology and neurology ... no longer indeed!
Shannon
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2015 01:38AM by Shannon.
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Re: Update on my second Follow up 3D-TEE at Scripps La Jolla & upcoming schedule February 08, 2015 10:41PM |
Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 549 |
Happy to hear that all went well with your TEE, Shannon. It sounds like that was as good of an experience as it could have been. I will be getting my TEE with Dr. Di Biase on the 24th.
Looking forward to your report from the LAA conference. You are a tremendous wealth of information that we all soak up here with great relief, knowing we have someone who both "gets it" and is thoroughly knowledgeable on so much in the AFib arena!
Good to hear your positive news ~ Barb
Looking forward to your report from the LAA conference. You are a tremendous wealth of information that we all soak up here with great relief, knowing we have someone who both "gets it" and is thoroughly knowledgeable on so much in the AFib arena!
Good to hear your positive news ~ Barb
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