UCI Health cardiac rehabilitation patient Blaine Bowman is back on his bike after open-heart surgery.
After retiring as an air traffic controller, Blaine Bowman had a simple plan: to take up cycling again.
A competitive racer in his youth, the sport had fallen by the wayside over the years in favor of raising a family and pursuing a busy career.
About 18 months into increasingly intense training, he began feeling faint as he neared the end of a 28-mile ride.
“I was waiting for the light to turn green and, suddenly, I felt a little lightheaded and a little pain in the right side of my head,” Bowman, then 59, recalls. “Everything got darker. I could still see, but I just felt odd.”
Seeking a second opinion
When his regular cardiologist was unconcerned by the September 2023 episode, Bowman went to UCI Health Cardiology Services and saw Dr. Jennifer Xu for a second opinion.
“She immediately thought this was more of an issue than my other cardiologist did.”
It turned out that a leaky mitral valve repaired 26 years earlier when Bowman was 33 was failing. His surgeon back then had warned he would eventually develop issues with the surgery.
After consulting with interventional cardiologist Dr. Antonio Frangieh and a heart surgeon, Bowman had a new bioprosthetic valve inserted via open-heart surgery in July 2024. The valve, made from animal tissue, would not require him to take blood thinners or impede his active lifestyle.
Seeing the individual
Three weeks after heart surgery, Bowman was cleared to return to very light physical activity. Within a week, he was easily increasing his workouts on his stationary bike.
He was feeling so good that when Physician Assistant Rachel Wang suggested cardiac rehabilitation, he didn’t think he needed it, “I was kind of mentally blowing it off because by that point, I’d been riding a lot on the bike.”
Still, determined to do his due diligence in recovery, he met with exercise physiologist Jacob Barragan in late August.
Bowman felt seen right away.
“I connected pretty quickly with Jacob. He looked at me not like a typical heart patient.”
The UCI Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Program works with patients to rebuild a healthy heart with cardiovascular exercise, weight training, food preparation and lifestyle modification.
Each patient receives a treatment plan that is unique to their needs and goals.
Something for everyone
Cardiac rehab is truly for anyone who has had a serious cardiac event or heart disease diagnosis, whether they’ve exercised before or not, Barragan says.
“Everyone can benefit from supervised exercise so they can have confidence exercising on their own after completing our program.”
Bowman’s goal was to return to the intense, miles-long bike rides he loves. But he learned to pace himself.
“Blaine consistently gave us strong effort, but he also listened to his body and exercised appropriately each day,” Barragan recalls.
Bowman, who had been hesitant about rehab, was surprised at how much he benefitted by being with others who had gone through a similar experience.
“It was, quite frankly, good to be in a group. You tease each other, you make jokes. It wound up being a really good situation.”
Another benefit of rehab is that patients are monitored by electrocardiogram while exercising, says cardiac rehab nurse Lisa Hennigan.
“This allows patients to feel more comfortable that they are being watched as they advance in their recovery and back to normal activity.”
Getting back to ‘normal’
In October, for the first time in six months, Bowman felt ready to take his bike outside. His improved physical condition was readily apparent.
“My efforts on the bike felt limited by my legs rather than my heart,” he recalls of that ride.
Bowman graduated from rehab in November 2024 and was cleared to transition back to “normal life.” He quickly started besting his own records, once beating his time on a 20-mile course by nearly 10 minutes.
Bowman, now 61, knows the new valve may also begin to leak in about 10 to 12 years. But his surgeon explained that it is easily replaced by threading a catheter through a vein in his groin to the heart and inserting a new valve into the old one.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the surgery and the amazing level of care I’ve received from everyone at UCI Health,” he says.
Comprehensive care
Bowman's care at UCI Health is an example of the multidisciplinary cardiology expertise at the Tsai Ya Au Heart & Vascular Pavilion at UCI Medical Center in Orange and the new Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care at UCI Health — Irvine.
UCI Health and cardiologists in the Mary & Steve Wen Cardiovascular Division continue to expand services and capabilities, solidifying its position as a leader in California’s cardiology landscape.
These experts and leaders in their field are committed to addressing the unique needs of diverse patient populations and includes establishing programs like free cardiac health coaching, remote patient monitoring, post-heart failure hospitalization and HF Follow-up phone calls, all aimed at improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Make an appointment by calling 714-456-6699.
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