It was 1963, and while a medical student at Loyola University in Chicago he was self-monitoring his heart when he detected something different. “I was using a phono cardiogram – we don’t even use those anymore – and the noise was characteristic of a bicuspid aortic valve,” says Keenan. “I just self monitored it over the years.” Why didn’t he see a doctor? “He sees himself every day,” says his wife Debbie. It’s true, Keenan does see a doctor every day in the mirror — an accomplished one at that. As a professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, he spent 29 years as head of neonatology at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Currently, he is medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ International Affairs. In other words, he knows what a genetic heart condition sounds like and knows how it can progress. “People should see a doctor if they are concerned,” he says. A bicuspid aortic valve is a genetic condition where an aortic valve has two leaflets, instead of three. As the aortic valve regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta this means the major blood vessel bringing blood to the body is not as efficient as it should be. It may lead to blood leaking back into the heart (aortic regurgitation) or the aortic valve may become stiff and not open up as well. This means the heart has to pump harder than usual (aortic stenosis). Even with those potential issues, many live the majority of their lives with it and don’t recognize it until later in life when symptoms may surface. For Keenan, they began at his grandson’s baptism 18 months ago. While dancing, he began to become short of breath. He monitored, waiting for the right time to finally contact a cardiologist. “I knew my day would come,” he says. When it finally came, Keenan scheduled an appointment with Bernard Chaitman, MD, SLUCare cardiologist at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. After an echocardiogram to look at the valve, Kennan had surgery days later with Richard Lee, MD, chief of cardiac surgery and co-director of the Center for Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care (the C4) at Saint Louis University Hospital. “We replaced the aorta and within days Dr. Keenan had color back and his strength back,” says Dr. Lee. “His situation is exactly the kind our center is designed to treat: a complex heart issue, where we were able to tailor the patient’s treatment based on his unique situation.” “I was in a needy state,” he says. “But I feel better than I have in years now.” Less than a week after surgery, Keenan was discharged from the hospital in time for the holidays. His follow up appointment will be with his docs from Saint Louis University though … not the doctor in the mirror.
