A heart surgeon with the FirstHealth Cardiovas-cular & Thoracic Center will talk about diagnosing and surgical treatment options for the most common heart valve abnormalities during the final education program highlighting the services of the Reid Heart Center: The FirstHealth Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

Dr. Peter I. Ellman will be the featured speaker for the Thursday, June 30, program called "Valve Disease - So You Think You Have a Heart Murmur."

He will speak specifically about aortic stenosis, a condition in which a valve in the heart becomes narrowed, and mitral valve prolapse, a condition that causes a valve to leak. Both can cause congestive heart failure and even death.

Ellman will discuss the necessity and timing of repair of the two abnormalities, including the risks and benefits of doing so.

He will also discuss the current recommendations for intervention and some of the techniques that are used before concluding with information on the future of heart valve repair and replacement.

He will focus on treatment options that are offered at Reid Heart Center.

The upcoming program, which will include question-and-answer session, will get under way at 6 p.m. in the Reid Heart Center at 120 Page Road North, between N.C. 211 and Memorial Drive, on the campus of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Ellman grew up in Vermont, where he was a competitive ski racer in high school and college. He attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in English and was on both the varsity alpine ski team and golf team.

He earned his medical doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 2000 and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Virginia and his cardiothoracic training at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Ellman specializes in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery including coronary artery bypass surgery, valvular repair and replacement, and diseases of the aorta.

He also treats patients with noncardiac diseases of the chest, including benign and malignant processes of the lung and mediastinum. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Registration is required for this program. For more information or to register, call (910) 715-1478 or (800) 213-3284 toll-free.

You can also register online at www.first-health.org/heart.