David Byrne, a 38yearold teacher, coach and father of young triplets, was born with a heart valve defect called a bicuspid aortic valve. He knew about his condition and kept a close eye on it throughout his life until his symptoms worsened in 2010. His doctor said he needed an aortic valve replacement. David chose to have a mechanical valve implanted at MUSC's South Carolina heart center. Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. John Ikonomidis, one of MUSC's heart valve surgeons, performed the surgery and replaced David's malformed aortic valve with a hinged mechanical valve. The valve is extremely durable, and is designed to last a lifetime.

With his new valve in place, David is more active than ever and is able to keep up with triplets without running out of breath. Watch David talk about his decision to have MUSC's heart valve surgeons perform his life changing procedure.

For more information on MUSC's South Carolina heart center, visit http://www.muschealth.com/heart/about/