UW News

November 17, 2010

UW Medicine cardiologist Dr. Larry Dean to give Dec. 1 Seattle Public Library Lecture

Dr. Larry Dean

Dr. Larry Dean

Dr. Larry Dean, director of the UW Medicine Heart Center, will give the next talk in the Seattle Public Library and UW Medicine public lecture series.

Dean, a professor of surgery and of medicine, Division of Cardiology, will speak on “Baby Boomers need to get smart when it comes to the heart.”  The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 1, in the Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The Seattle Public Library and UW Medicine lecture series brings UW experts to speak with the public about common health concerns and ways they are diagnosing and treating these problems, based on the latest evidence of effectiveness.

Dean will look at a heart condition that affects some people as they grow older, a failing aortic valve.  This valve controls the flow of oxygenated blood pumped into the aorta, a heart vessel that directs blood to the rest of the body. If the valve becomes too narrow or weak with age, a person may experience such symptoms as shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting. Dean will discuss some of the causes of this disorder and interventions, including aortic valve replacement, and answer general questions from the audience.

For more information on this and future talks in the series, call 206-386-4636 or visit the Seattle Public Library website, www.spl.org