NCH heart procedure gets Naples cyclist back on his bike

A Naples man’s recovery from heart failure through a minimally invasive mitral clip procedure has allowed him to return to his active lifestyle, including daily bike rides. At 77 years old, Mike Sayen is an avid cyclist, covering 10 miles a day on his bike. However, when he suddenly found himself unable to climb stairs or engage in physical activity, he and his wife, Sue, knew something was wrong. "I really couldn't climb a flight of steps or do any real physical activity. I was exhausted," Sayen said. Sue Sayen described the severity of his condition, saying, "He was just, just declining. And then it just got so bad that he asked me to call the ambulance one morning." Like a growing number of Americans, Sayen had undergone previous heart procedures, which added complexity to his case. "Because when you had a history of having a prior valve replacement or prior other procedures, that can sometimes obscure the picture," Dr. Luis Paz, an interventional cardiologist at NCH Healthcare System, said. Dr. Paz identified an enlarged heart and a pocket of fluid, both signs of heart failure. "Heart failure is a syndrome when the heart has been overwhelmed with some conditions that don't allow it to beat effectively," Dr. Paz said. The cause was a failing mitral valve, which was unable to fully close, causing blood to regurgitate backward. Dr. Paz repaired the valve using a mitral clip, a device threaded through a vein that eliminates the need for open-heart surgery. "We insert a device that sort of holds the leaflets together, and in that way we are able to successfully reduce that amount of regurgitation substantially, and so that creates more effective blood flow," Dr. Paz said. After months of struggling, Sayen was back on his bike the very next day. "When Dr. Paz called to check on him, and I said, 'You're not going to believe this, but he's not in the house right now, he's out riding his bike,'" Sue Sayen said. With his heart mended, Sayen and his wife are enjoying life to the fullest. "It’s a wonderful thing," Sayen said. The mitral clip procedure is increasingly being used for patients who are not candidates for open-heart surgery or who have heart failure due to a leaky valve that cannot be controlled with medication. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.