“Dr. Barone was fantastic. He performed all of the tests himself.”
Whether he was running or walking to stay in shape, fishing for stripers or working at his construction job, the 53-year-old Waretown resident was always on the go.
That changed after doctors discovered a heart murmur in Mr. Brenner when he sought treatment for another medical issue. “When they first discovered the murmur, it was moderately leaking,” Mr. Brenner recalled. “It went from moderately leaking to severely leaking in one year. I was still running and trying to do everything I did, but I was always tired. I would sleep nine or 10 hours a night.”
When he received the initial diagnosis, Mr. Brenner was living in Ringoes in Hunterdon County, a short distance from the office of Paul Barone, DO, an attending cardiologist at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (RWJ Somerset).
“A friend of mine had gone to Dr. Barone and spoke very highly of him,” Mr. Brenner explained. “Dr. Barone was fantastic. He performed all of the tests himself.”
Mr. Brenner was suffering from a condition known as mitral valve prolapse. Sometimes the mitral valve is abnormal from birth. It can also become damaged by infection, with age or heart disease. Doctors suspect Mr. Brenner may have had the murmur since birth. With mitral valve prolapse, some blood flows back into the atrium of the heart resulting in a condition called regurgitation. Regurgitation can make the heart work harder, leading to further damage and increasing the risk of heart failure.
Because Mr. Brenner’s heart valve was rapidly deteriorating due to the murmur, Dr. Barone referred him to Leonard Y. Lee, MD, James W. Mackenzie Chair in Surgery and Interim Chair, Department of Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at RWJ. Dr. Lee had recently received training on the most advanced technology currently available in minimally invasive robotic surgery, the da Vinci® Xi Surgical System, which can treat patients with heart valve issues by replacing the large, wide-open abdominal surgeries with a smaller incision approach.
The da Vinci ® Xi , or robot, offers surgeons enhanced visual technology, broader capabilities and improved instrument control. By enabling efficient access throughout the abdomen and chest, the robot expands its core features, including wristed instruments, 3D-HD visualization, intuitive motion and an ergonomic design.The robot’s 3D-HD vision gives surgeons a highly magnified view, virtually extending their eyes and hands into the patient.
A husband and father of four grown children, Mr. Brenner was in good health despite the diagnosis, so he was an excellent candidate for robotic surgery.
“Dr. Lee said my valve was leaking pretty badly and I needed surgery,”Mr. Brenner said. “He said it would be easier for me to recover from the surgery if we chose the robot. I had total confidence in Dr. Lee, so I went for it.” Dr. Lee added,“This technique allows me to perform the surgery without spreading or cracking the patient’s ribs and involves only making a small incision 2 to 3 inches in length. This significantly reduces the disruption and trauma to tissue surrounding the surgical area.”
According to Dr. Lee, mitral valve repair is considered a better option for many patients who have been diagnosed with a leaking mitral valve or a narrowed mitral valve. Improved long-term survival rates, better preservation of heart function and reduced risk for post-surgical complications are some advantages.
Mr. Brenner is one of the first patients in New Jersey and the first at RWJ to benefit from the new technology. He had the surgery on December 8, 2014, with no complications afterward. He was home and back to running within a few weeks.
“This technology is fantastic,”Mr. Brenner said. “I didn’t expect everything to go this smoothly. I have a ton of energy- I feel great.”