MOORESVILLE, Ind. – It is estimated that more than 5 million Americans suffer from some form of heart valve disease and can cause heart damage without symptoms.At a Tuesday, Feb. 23 program at the Mooresville Public Library, 220 W. Harrison St., Marc Gerdisch, M.D., will explain how heart valves cause murmurs and when it’s time to seek treatment. The event, which is free to the public, begins at 6:30 p.m.
Gerdisch is the medical director of cardiothoracic surgery at the St. Francis Heart Center, a partner of Cardiac Surgery Associates and the co-director of the St. Francis Heart Valve Center at St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers.
Gerdisch was the first in the world to use technology that allows patients to rebuild their own cardiovascular tissue. He also will discuss how the revolutionary technology can be used to modify and repair cardiac structures, allowing heart tissue to re-grow inside the beating hearts of patients.
To learn more about Gerdisch’s work go to www.cardiactissuerepair.net.
Valves inside the heart that do not open or close properly cause heart murmurs. People can live with heart murmurs a long time without any symptoms. In fact, the heart can suffer considerable damage from heart valve disease before symptoms become noticeable. Heart failure may result from longstanding or sudden onset of valve disease.
“A heart murmur does not necessarily signal a problem,” said Gerdisch. “Many murmurs are harmless; however, their relationship to the valves needs to be understood, and they require follow-up to ensure that heart continues to function normally.”
Attendees also may be eligible for a free valvular echo screening.
“Imaging the heart with sound waves, allows us to monitor the impact of valve disease on the heart and therefore treat it at the right time,” Gerdisch said. “There has been considerable innovation in heart valve treatment, including our ability to repair valves instead of replacing them.”
To register for the program, go to www.heartattackcare.net, or call 317-782-4422.
The Mooresville Public Library is located at 220 W. Harrison St.
