喵咪社区

A stroke caused by a rare heart condition prompted Eric Alcorn, a former health care executive, to seek care from a renowned cardiac surgeon Eric once recruited.

When Eric Alcorn helped convince Vaughn Starnes, MD, to join the ranks at the newly-opened 喵咪社区 University Hospital in 1991 (now Keck Hospital of 喵咪社区), he never dreamed he was recruiting the man who would one day perform the heart procedure that would save his life.聽

鈥淚t was great that when an old friend called for help, he picked up the phone,鈥� says Eric, 65, who worked as an executive at the health system until 2009.

鈥淚t鈥檚 funny how things come full circle,鈥� says Dr. Starnes, who is now the founding executive director of the 喵咪社区 Cardiac and Vascular Institute, part of 喵咪社区. 鈥淚 was just glad I could be there and help Eric.鈥�

Recruitment turns into decades-long friendship

As Eric and his colleagues were looking to recruit surgical specialists for the new hospital, Dr. Starnes was identified as a candidate to lead the division of cardiothoracic surgery. At the time, he was the director of Stanford Medicine鈥檚 heart-lung transplantation program.

But Dr. Starnes was happy in Palo Alto and wasn鈥檛 sure he was interested. He says Eric played a pivotal role in convincing him to take the leap.

鈥淲e had many car rides from the Burbank airport to the campus, where we talked about all the great things that were going to happen at this center,鈥� says Dr. Starnes. 鈥淓ric made me believe in the dream.鈥�

This marked the beginning of a decades-long friendship. They worked closely together on many projects over the years before Eric moved on to other ventures.

A stroke leads to heart surgery

In February 2023, while Eric was preparing to fly home from a business meeting in Hawaii, he suffered a stroke.

鈥淚 lost use of my right hand and my voice,鈥� he says, adding that there had been no warning signs. He was rushed to a local hospital for testing and treatment.

I鈥檝e worked with a lot of surgeons over the years and Dr. Starnes is simply a step apart.

Eric Alcorn, patient, Keck Hospital of 喵咪社区

鈥淎n echocardiogram showed my aortic valve was flopping around like a piece of leather,鈥� Eric says. 鈥淚t was basically destroyed.鈥�

Immediately, Eric contacted Dr. Starnes鈥� office.

鈥淗e was a friend with a bad problem,鈥� Dr. Starnes says. 鈥淚 was going to move my schedule and do whatever I needed to make sure I was available for him.鈥�

Rare heart condition caused by a bacterial infection

After receiving images of Eric鈥檚 heart, Dr. Starnes confirmed that Eric had endocarditis, a rare heart condition typically caused by a bacterial infection, and which is fatal if left untreated.

鈥淗e said it looked like a tiny rainforest was growing on my valve,鈥� Eric says. 鈥淗e also asked if I鈥檇 had dental work recently. I said yes, I鈥檇 had a crown put in a few months earlier.鈥�

Endocarditis can be prompted by dental work because bacteria can enter the bloodstream through our mouths. Daily activities like teeth brushing, flossing and chewing food can also lead to an infection.

Despite having no symptoms, Eric was also more at risk for developing endocarditis because he had an abnormal valve caused by a congenital heart defect that was previously undetected.

Dr. Starnes urged him to get to Keck Hospital as soon as possible to address the issue.

鈥淓very beat of my heart was potentially another stroke ready to happen,鈥� Eric says.

In fact, Eric did suffer a second mini-stroke before leaving Hawaii as the diseased valve shed debris into his bloodstream 鈥� but he was determined to make it home.

鈥淵ou want to be in a world-class center with a world-class surgeon to fix a problem like this,鈥� Eric adds.

Eric flew back to California and was admitted to Keck Hospital the next morning. The following day, he underwent surgery.

New aortic valve creates excellent long-term prognosis

During the four-hour surgery, Dr. Starnes replaced Eric鈥檚 infected valve with a bovine heart valve, which is made from the tissue of a cow heart. This type of valve lasts for 15 to 20 years before needing replacement.

鈥淔ortunately, it was just the leaflets of Eric鈥檚 aortic valve that were infected, not the entire aortic root complex,鈥� Dr. Starnes says. 鈥淚 could just put in the new valve without needing to rebuild his heart.鈥�

Eric spent a few days recovering at Keck Hospital before he was released. After some follow-up appointments 颅鈥� and a prescription for prophylactic antibiotics to take before any future dental appointments 鈥� Eric received an excellent prognosis.

Within four months, he was able to play golf again.

A minor dose of aspirin is the only change to his regular routine, which includes spending time with his wife, five children and eight grandchildren.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 concerned about the procedure itself,鈥� Eric says. 鈥淚 knew I was in the best hands available. I鈥檝e worked with a lot of surgeons over the years and Dr. Starnes is simply a step apart.鈥�

鈥淚 think back to when I was picking him up at the Burbank airport all those years ago,鈥� Eric adds. 鈥淚 never imagined that one day he would be working on my heart and saving my life.鈥�

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Erin Laviola

Erin Laviola is a freelance writer for 喵咪社区.

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