An active wife and mother, Virginia (Ginny) Perry, 78, enjoys traveling, hiking, golfing, and playing pickleball. But in 2015, acute heart issues led the resident of Ligonier, Pa., to seek care at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute.
During follow-up appointments with her cardiologist, Robert Staffen, MD, they discovered she had a mitral valve prolapse. This occurs when the two valve flaps of the mitral valve don’t close smoothly or evenly, causing blood to leak backward. Dr. Staffen placed Ginny on beta blockers and continued to monitor her health.
For a few years, Ginny managed the side effects of mitral valve disease. But the symptoms greatly impacted her lifestyle, especially the shortness of breath she experienced during the activities she enjoys.
Ginny also has atrial fibrillation. AFib is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm, affecting about 3 million to 6 million people in the U.S. Between her mitral valve disease and AFib, Ginny needed more advanced cardiac care.
Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair Surgery
Dr. Staffen referred Ginny to cardiothoracic surgeon Johannes Bonatti, MD. In May 2023, Dr. Bonatti performed a robotic mitral valve repair surgery.
People who are candidates for robotic-assisted cardiac surgery can experience many benefits with this minimally invasive approach. These include smaller incisions, less pain, fewer postoperative activity restrictions, and a faster recovery time.
Following surgery, Ginny spent a few days recovering at UPMC Presbyterian. Once home, she felt a significant improvement in her health.
But a few months later, her shortness of breath gradually returned.
Open Heart Surgery
In August 2024, at her one-year post-mitral valve repair surgery checkup, Ginny learned that a different valve — the tricuspid valve — was leaking. The tricuspid valve controls the flow of blood from the right atrium to the right ventricle. When it doesn’t work properly, the heart can’t pump blood efficiently, leading to heart failure and other problems.
This time, Dr. Bonatti performed open heart surgery to repair Ginny’s leaking tricuspid valve. After surgery, Ginny felt instant relief and improved breathing.
“Even though the thought of undergoing cardiac surgery was very intimidating, it was not nearly as frightening as I had imagined,” Ginny says. “Everyone took wonderful care of me. They were helpful and answered all my questions. They were very reassuring and instilled a sense of calm in me.”
Four days after surgery, Ginny was able to return home. To start the recovery process, Ginny joined a cardiac rehabilitation program. Cardiac rehab is key to a successful return to “normal” following heart surgery.
Active Once More
Before surgery, Ginny couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without stopping. Now, she has more energy and no shortness of breath. She’s confident that she’ll be able to return to all of her former activities after she completes rehab.
“I think Dr. Bonatti hung the moon,” says Ginny, who recently traveled to South Africa. “He is a fabulous surgeon with an excellent bedside manner. He was caring and had a calm demeanor. The entire team was wonderful!”
Ginny’s treatment and results may not be representative of similar cases.