Father's tricuspid valve replacement Jan. 10

[Christina K]

Hi all --

I am new to this forum as a poster but have been reading here for a couple months and have learned a lot. I am posting this because I hope some people here can offer me some perspective, advice, help, etc. etc. in the next week or so.

My 81-year-old father is having tricuspid valve replacement surgery at Cleveland Clinic on Jan. 10. This will be his fourth open heart surgery. He has had three prior bypasses and also had a defibrillator put in in Cleveland in 2005. He is flying up to Cleveland tomorrow and I drive up to meet him on Tuesday.

I am terrified of this surgery because of my father's age. His doctor says the surgery will take between six and eight hours. They have to do open chest because there are currently no minimally invasive procedures being done for tricuspid at Cleveland. His doctors believe he will have "a good result" from this but naturally I am scared. This is the first time I will have to deal with this on my own because my mother is deceased and I am an only child.

Has anyone here had experience with this type of surgery, either personally or in their family? Obviously they think he can survive it or they would not be doing it, but I need to know what his recovery might entail and what risks are possible. I live with my dad and he has arranged to have some home health care when he returns from Cleveland as I will have to be going back to work the third week of January.

Any perspectives or experiences anyone can offer would be very much appreciated. I would not be so terrified if he were not in his 80s and if it were a minimally invasive procedure. Thank you for any help you might be able to offer.

Christina

 

[Cooker]

Hi Christina,

I want to welcome you to VR.com. I agree that they would not be doing the surgery if they did not expect a good outcome. I have a friend and her father had his aortic valve replaced at 83 years of age. He is doing fine. Wishing the best possible results for your father.

 

[Ross]

First off, there is no better place to be in your dads position. You've got the top hospital and Doctors to help him. Hon the problem is, your looking for an answer that none of us can really provide. Everyone reacts differently to surgery. He may be a text book case and be fine a couple days later or he could possibly have some unplanned bumps in recovery that may keep him there a while longer. There is just know way of knowing until it's done. People much older then him have done just fine, so if they think it'll be good, then it most likely will be.

 

[Racefan]

Hi Christina,

OHS is pretty scary at any age for concerned family members. Just a quick update on my roomate after surgey at UCLA this past August. He had three valves replaced and a triple bypass at the same time(no kidding). He was not up to walking and eating very much the first couple days and nurses had to give him a little extra attention. Felt bad for him since I was actually feeling ok. When I went back for my follow-up ten days after my release I ran into him and his wife. The guy was walking and talking pretty darn well for an 84 year old man, let alone a recent OHS patient. That was exactly 15 days after his surgery.

Best Wishes ,
Mike

 

[Mary]

Christina,
I can only echo what the others have written. Cleveland Clinic is a great place for replacement, and I'm sure he will receive the best possible care. Others have had replacment at an advanced age and done well. I doubt that they would recommend the surgery if they didn't think the odds were very good for complete recovery.
I've added your dad to our VR surgery calendar, so you can be sure he will have plenty of support and good thoughts throughout his surgery and subsequent recovery.

 

[Bina]

Hello christina and welcome to the group!
I'm sure that your Dad will be just fine. When I had my OHS, 3 of my room mates were men in their 70s and they recovered faster than me.

 

[robert62]

my father had valve surgery replacement at 81, pacemaker at 86 and still going today at 91.5. relax the doctors know best. good luck!