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Morris Kahn

Los Robles is the first hospital in the world to utilize the fourth generation MitraClip™ G4 device for mitral regurgitation procedure.

February 20, 2020
Patient Morris Kahn speaks to the camera wearing a blue shirt.

Morris Kahn is not your average 90-year-old — his motto is “add life to my years, not years to my life.” The very active businessman and philanthropist lives in Israel — he rides horses, dives and skis.

In 2018, his doctors detected that his heart had an abnormal heartbeat, so, they implanted a pacemaker. A short time later, his physicians determined that he had mitral valve regurgitation.

Even though Morris could have gone anywhere for his cardiac care — he chose Los Robles at the recommendation of a friend after another surgeon recommended open heart surgery. Morris had triple bypass surgery 10 years prior, so he was not crazy about the idea of opening his chest up again — he knew there had to be another alternative for him without the unnecessary risks. “I am blessed that I have the privilege to consult and be treated by the best doctors in the world,” says Morris.

After doing a bit more research, Morris contacted interventional cardiologist Dr. Saibal Kar. Within minutes, Morris was won over by Dr. Kar’s interest in what was best for his potential patient. He did not rush him into surgery and told him to try medication before undergoing any procedure. By September of 2019, it became clear that some sort of procedure would be required to fix the valve. “I was in Los Angeles for a business meeting and found myself out of breath again,” says Morris. “I contacted Dr. Kar who happened to be in India. Despite the 4 a.m. time in India, he spoke with me over the phone in detail about what could be done to fix my mitral valve.”

Upon Dr. Kar’s return, the two met and Dr. Kar suggested the MitraClip™ device was a good option. Kahn says that he could have gone anywhere in the world for treatment but chose Los Robles.

Los Robles is the first hospital in the world to utilize the fourth generation MitraClip™ G4 device which was recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  Based on new clinical trial data, the FDA expanded the indication for MitraClip™ therapy for the treatment of patients with heart failure and secondary mitral regurgitation. “Morris was a great candidate for this less invasive procedure,” says Dr. Kar.

Two months post-op, Morris is back to riding his horses and his very active daily routine. “If it weren’t for the dedicated cardiac team at Los Robles and my fortunate situation of finding them, I’m sure that I would have had to have undergone a more invasive surgery. I’ve added life to my years — what more could I ask for?”

Published:
February 20, 2020
Location:
Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center

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