Erika Paskman

Erika Paskman takes part in a lot of activities other 90-year-olds don’t -- golf, tennis, experimental heart valve surgery.

Active all of her life, Paskman thinks that a bout of scarlet fever in her youth contributed to a damaged aortic valve that rarely slowed her down until recently.

She received a pacemaker to control some atrial fibrillation, but her age ruled her out of valve surgery until her cardiologist referred her to Duke to take part in the CoreValve clinical trial.

Transcatheter aortic valve implants such as CoreValve are showing promising results for patients with valve stenosis who are advised not to undergo open surgery.

Now, Paskman is again able to walk her dog, Jake, every day and swing a mean 9-iron from time to time.