“Heart valve disease is underrecognized and undertreated, massively.”

These are the words of Dr. David Wood, Head of Cardiology at Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital, who sat down with Global News yesterday as part of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week.

According to Dr. Wood, common symptoms of heart valve disease include: 

  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pressure in chest  

While often mistaken for “normal aging,” Dr. Wood says these symptoms could be due to a narrowed or leaky heart valve. He urges anyone over the age of 60 to visit their health care provider for a check-up if they are experiencing any of these symptoms.

“If you have heart valve disease, your chances of dying in the next six months to a year dramatically goes up,” Dr. Wood said. “With some of the innovation we’ve done here in Vancouver, we can fix you [while you’re] awake. It takes half an hour, and you go home the same day.”

Rather than undergoing open heart surgery, most patients in BC are now eligible to get a new heart valve inserted through their leg, according to Dr. Wood. He says over 100 patients at VGH have undergone this new procedure and gone home the same day.  

Described as the “next cardiac epidemic,” heart valve disease affects more than one million Canadians, according to Heart Valve Voice Canada. And that number is going to double in the next five years, Dr. Wood says. 

Thanks to the groundbreaking health care innovation funded by donors like you, VGH is already saving lives.

“Through VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, partnering with Heart Valve Voice Canada, we’re able to do groundbreaking research here,” Dr. Wood said. “We have some of the best equipment, the best people here, and it’s a very exciting place … If you do have a narrowed heart valve, or a leaky heart valve, we can fix it very efficiently now in 2024.”

A free Listen To Your Heart stethoscope check event is taking place Thursday, September 19‍ from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. In support of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, UBC Cardiology Fellows are offering free stethoscope checks, where they will listen for a heart murmur. No appointment is necessary. 

Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week runs until September 22. Heart Valve Voice Canada has led Canada’s national awareness campaign for the past five years.

Click here to learn more about how you can support heart health in BC!