After years of exhaustion, Volusia County man regains strength after new heart procedure

Mark Sorenson spent years dealing with extreme fatigue, weakness and swelling in his legs. Even short walks left him drained, and the symptoms didn’t go away.

“I just did not feel well all the time,” said Sorenson, 77, of Port Orange. “The swelling was constant. It was uncomfortable, but more than that, it was concerning. I didn’t know what was wrong, and that weighs on you.”

Sorenson sought care, but open heart surgery was too risky for him. He was eventually referred to AdventHealth Daytona Beach, where imaging showed a valve on the right side of his heart was no longer closing properly. The condition allowed blood to flow backward, causing fluid buildup.

While AdventHealth Daytona Beach already performs a range of heart valve procedures, Sorenson became the hospital’s first patient in February to undergo a transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement, a more specialized treatment now available locally.

The procedure was performed by a team that included interventional cardiologist Dr. Dinesh Arab and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Cary Meyers.

Instead of open-heart surgery, doctors guide a thin tube through a vein in the leg to reach the heart, using a small opening in the groin that is closed with a stitch. A replacement valve is placed inside the damaged one to restore normal blood flow.

“For a long time, his valve was leaking severely, and it was making him very sick,” Arab said. “Many patients with this condition are high risk for open-heart surgery, so treatment options have been limited. Now we’re able to treat this in a less invasive way and help them feel better.”

Since the procedure, Sorenson has started to notice a difference.

“I feel better than I have in a long time,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to moving around, getting outside, just doing normal things again. That’s what I’ve missed.”

Dr. David Sinclair, president and CEO of AdventHealth Daytona Beach, said the procedure reflects a broader effort to expand access to advanced heart care in the region.

In recent years, the hospital has expanded its cardiovascular services to meet growing demand, adding more advanced procedures, including structural heart treatments such as the LAMPOON procedure and robotic-assisted cardiac surgery. Additionally, a major expansion underway will increase the hospital’s critical care capacity, including areas dedicated to heart care, with completion anticipated in September.

“We’re here to help people feel like themselves again,” Sinclair said. “When someone who’s been struggling for years can finally breathe easier, walk farther, and return to the life they love, that’s what this work is all about.”