For decades, Phil Passen was an active runner and boxer, running dozens of miles a week and regularly competing in park runs, all while raising his 9-year-old daughter and working in finance.
He felt fit and healthy. So when his primary care physician at New York University Langone Health told him he had a previously undetected congenital heart condition, he was shocked.
“I went for my annual review “…and my primary care physician detected a heart murmur, and that seemed a little abnormal,” said Passen, 53. “She sent me for additional tests, just to be on the safe side. They didn’t find anything on a stress test, but when they started doing the ultrasound, they found out I had a bicuspid aortic valve.”
Phil Passen / NYU Langone
A bicuspid aortic valve means a person has only two valves in their aorta, instead of the usual three. A bicuspid valve can become calcified, narrowing the valve and making it harder for blood to flow. This condition is usually corrected with surgery, but when Passen’s disease was first detected in 2016, it wasn’t at that stage yet. Instead, he and his family entered a waiting period: Every year, Passen had to have regular heart tests to monitor the condition.
“I had to tell myself that this was something that needed to be monitored and that I couldn’t change it,” Passen said. “So if it got serious, I shouldn’t have ignored the symptoms and done what I needed to do.”
In 2020, two things happened: The coronavirus pandemic hit the United States and the Passen family moved to Miami, Florida. Passen hadn’t yet found a cardiologist in his new city, and he avoided doctors’ offices at the start of the pandemic. He wasn’t alone: 41% of people reported missing appointments in the early months of the pandemic, according to the American Medical Association.
For three years, Passen missed his regular checkHe told CBS News that he was still running 25 to 30 miles a week and had no alarming symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness. In April 2023, he finally made an appointment to see a doctor in Florida, only to hear the news he had been dreading.
“They told me, ‘You need immediate surgery on your heart valve.’ It was the last thing I expected,” Passen said. “It’s like a life-changing moment, because suddenly it’s not an elective surgery anymore, and they tell you that you need this surgery, and you need to do it immediately. It was probably the most stressful moment of my life.”
Finding a second opinion and a new option
Passen decided to seek a second opinion from his old cardiology team. After an initial appointment, during which he was told surgery would be necessary in the coming months, he had a follow-up appointment to discuss options with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Peterson, director of aortic surgery at NYU Langone.
The two most common surgeries each have their drawbacks. Passen could get a replacement aortic valve from an animal source, but those valves tend to need to be replaced after about a decade, leading to more surgeries down the road. Another option was a prosthetic valve made of pyrolytic carbon, but then Passen would have to take blood thinners for the rest of his life and wouldn’t be able to play contact sports. The prosthetic option also has a negative impact on life expectancy, Peterson said.
Haley Ricciardi
Peterson then offered Passen a third option: a complex surgery called the Ross procedure. In this procedure, the aortic valve is replaced with the patient’s own pulmonary valve, and the pulmonary valve is replaced with a valve from a donor, Peterson explained.
“The Ross procedure is obviously a little more complicated than a traditional tissue or mechanical valve replacement, but … this short-term, more complex surgery pays off in the long run,” Peterson said. “It restores normal life expectancy, there’s no need for blood thinners, and patients generally have an excellent quality of life.”
It was a riskier option, but it would give Passen the life he wanted.
“I just decided it was worth it to have a more complicated procedure and reduce the risk of having to have another operation, even in 10 years,” Passen said. “I just decided I didn’t want to relive the fear of needing a new heart valve when I can have a procedure that will significantly reduce the risk of that happening.”
Once the decision was made, Passen began training for the surgery like he did for sporting events. From December to March, he made sure to maintain his exercise regimen, hoping that being in shape would help him recover more quickly afterward. Finally, the day of the surgery arrived.
NYU Langone Health
Ross’ surgery lasted about four hours, Peterson said. Passen’s surgery went well, Peterson said, and within hours of waking up, he was taking his first steps in the intensive care unit. Two and a half days later, he was released.
Today, nearly six months after surgery, Passen is back to running regularly and even took a family vacation to France over the summer. He credits the Ross procedure for his speedy recovery and allowing him to return to the athletic activities he loves.
Passen said he hopes his story inspires others to take care of their health.
“Once you are over 40 years“Not only should you have an annual physical, you should have your heart checked,” Peterson said. “Oftentimes problems arise that you don’t even know about, and the earlier they are caught, the better they can be treated.”
