HeartValveSurgery com COVID-19 & Heart Valve Disease Webinar Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 30 September 2020 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HeartValveSurgery com COVID-19 & Heart Valve Disease Webinar Cardiac surgeon Joanna Chikwe, MD, center, performs a surgery. Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai Health System. Heart Surgeon Joanna Chikwe HeartValveSurgery.com, a prominent heart health educational resource and online community for patients, recently featured cardiac surgeon Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Smidt Heart Institute, in a webinar. During the event, which garnered a record number of attendees for the platform, Chikwe reviewed the latest in COVID-19 research and how the disease impacts the heart. Chikwe, who specializes in heart valve surgery, highlighted a recent Cedars-Sinai study, which found that the novel coronavirus may be able to directly infect the heart's cells. Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the research showed that heart muscle cells in a lab dish revealed changes in their ability to beat after 72 hours of infection. During the webinar, Chikwe also discussed how patients can best manage heart valve disease during COVID-19, as well as safety protocols Cedars-Sinai has enacted. She urged patients to keep taking their prescribed medications during the pandemic and not to delay care because their heart condition could worsen. "It's really worth highlighting that valve disease is progressive, it's not static," Chikwe said. Patients should not avoid necessary in-person physician appointments for fear of catching the virus, Chikwe said, because delaying treatment for heart disease is more dangerous. "Hospitals have implemented huge, huge changes to really improve safety and minimize your risk. Don't wait to see your doctor," Chikwe said. "COVID – if we take the right precautions – poses relatively low risk to most patients. Waiting for heart surgery poses a potentially higher risk." Click here to watch the complete webinar from HeartValveSurgery.com. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Share this release HeartValveSurgery com COVID-19 & Heart Valve Disease Webinar Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home