Anne Bidlack, a nurse at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, discovered her love for biking in 2018.
“I had been on a health journey to get in shape and lose weight,” says Anne. “I developed a passion for biking and began training for a 63-mile race.”
During her training, Anne noticed a slight discomfort in her chest. She went to her primary care provider (PCP) for a check-up, where her doctor discovered a heart murmur. Her PCP referred Anne to a cardiologist for additional testing.
Anne saw Joshua Levenson, MD, for an exercise stress echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound that assesses your heart function before and after exercise. The results showed that Anne had mitral valve regurgitation. This condition occurs when your mitral valve no longer closes tightly and causes blood to flow the wrong way.
“Dr. Levenson let me know that I could still exercise, but I needed to modify my activity because of this condition,” says Anne. “I saw him for yearly testing to monitor my heart function.”
In 2023, Anne’s symptoms began to worsen.
“I was out of breath just walking up the stairs and had to adjust my bike rides,” says Anne. “I knew before going into Dr. Levenson’s office for my yearly appointment that I would fail the stress echo test.”
When the test results showed that Anne’s valve needed to be repaired, Dr. Levenson recommended that she undergo robotic-assisted surgery with Johannes Bonatti, MD. Dr. Bonatti is the director of robotic cardiac surgery at UPMC and is an internationally recognized expert in robotic-assisted mitral valve surgery. Patients who are candidates for robotic-assisted cardiac surgery can experience numerous benefits with this minimally invasive approach. These include smaller incisions, less pain, fewer postoperative activity restrictions, and a faster recovery time.
“In the four weeks leading up to the surgery, I tried to reduce my exercise and take it easy,” says Anne. “I was extremely nervous, but Dr. Bonatti was so calm and confident about my care. I also had the support of my coworkers at UPMC Children’s who helped me dispel my fears about the procedure.”
In fall 2023, Anne underwent robotic-assisted mitral valve repair with Dr. Bonatti at UPMC Presbyterian. She is extremely grateful for the entire OR staff and the care that she received during surgery and recovery.
“I remember the energy and kindness of everyone that came by during my time in the intensive care unit (ICU),” says Anne. “I had the feeling that I was being perfectly taken care of and getting the best care at every stage. Dr. Levenson came to check on me to make sure that I was recovering well.”
After six days in the hospital, Anne was able to go home.
“As I was healing, I experienced discomfort in my chest, which made it difficult to lay down,” says Anne. “After being home, I started getting back into my normal activities, like cooking and doing things around the house.”
Anne began cardiac rehab and started walking and exercising. On Christmas day, just several weeks after her surgery, Anne was back on her bike.
“My husband and I biked throughout Pittsburgh and stopped on the Fort Duquesne Bridge,” says Anne. “It felt great to be back doing what I love. A few months later, my husband and I took a hiking trip to Scotland to celebrate and are now planning a biking trip to Italy.”
Anne continues to see Dr. Bonatti and Dr. Levenson for follow-up care. She is grateful for her support system throughout the recovery process, including her family and coworkers at UPMC.
“For anyone in need of heart surgery, I recommend researching and building your confidence with your team and the surgeon,” says Anne. “Be gentle and kind to yourself throughout the entire process, especially during the emotional and physical recovery. The team at UPMC was wonderful and I am so grateful for the care that I received.”
Anne's treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.