February is American Heart Month, a reminder to prioritize heart health. For David Lienau, heart disease wasn’t on his radar—until a routine check-up in 2020 unexpectedly revealed a heart murmur. Further tests uncovered aortic valve stenosis, a condition that causes the heart to work harder due to a narrowing valve.
“What happens with aortic valve stenosis in simple terms, the valve itself is getting narrowed over time from calcium and cholesterol deposits,” explained Dr. Kristopher Selke, a structural and interventional cardiologist at Aurora BayCare Cardiology.
At the time, Lienau, an active skier and marina operator, was told his condition was in its early stages and likely wouldn’t affect him for years. But just two years later, he began feeling exhausted—without realizing his stenosis had progressed to a severe stage.
“(I’m thinking), ‘So what does this really mean?’ Of course, you go online, you research it… some of the stuff I read online led me to believe this could be serious,” Lienau said.
Fearing open-heart surgery and a long recovery, he was relieved when Dr. Selke and the Aurora BayCare Cardiology team recommended Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)—a minimally invasive alternative.
“We’re not making incisions to the chest… these patients are really just staying overnight in the hospital, whereas with traditional open-heart surgery, they’re in the hospital for 5-7 days,” said Dr. Selke.
Before undergoing TAVR, Lienau had two stent procedures to clear his arteries. The TAVR procedure itself involved inserting a new valve through an artery in his leg, pushing the old one aside.
Lienau felt an immediate difference.
“I could tell a difference immediately. I felt different breathing, my heart felt different, and I had a calmness to me that I hadn’t felt for a long time,” he said.
Now back to skiing and enjoying life, he urges others to listen to their bodies.
“I think in retrospect, when I started not wanting to do some of the things I loved, like golfing and skiing, I’d put it off… that was a symptom of what was happening with my body,” Lienau said. “Why am I that tired? Why do I want to go to bed at 5 o’clock in the afternoon? Listen to your body.”
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