Eight years for second valve

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Second AVR after first (porcine) valve lasted only 6 years. This one has carried me past 70 and headed toward 75.
Hi Debby, Were you very active with your first one? Any idea for the short life? What did you replace it with?
 
d333gs--I've never been an athlete. I walked regularly, hiked fairly regularly and went to the gym some the first few years. I think I just was on the short end of the curve of tissue valve longevity. I do know that one of the cusps was found to be torn, which explained the regurgitation I didn't have the first time. The replacement is Medtronic Open Pivot, chosen by the surgeon.
 
Were you very active with your first one? Any idea for the short life?

It happens a lot. Usually without any clear reason why, other than SVD does happen with tissue valves. As Debby suggested, there are going to be some that are on the shorter end of the curve.

Recent studies suggest that it may have more to do with the more robust immune systems of young patients, rather than their level of activity. In the valve world, 60, Debby's age at her first AVR, is still relatively young and many 60 year olds still have robust immune systems.

" SVD rates are substantially higher in young subjects and especially infants, cohorts of patients characterized by an overactive immune system.... On the contrary, patients >70 years old most commonly undergo redo valve replacement because of a prosthetic valve endocarditis rather than SVD, a trend perfectly explained by the host immunity factor.78 Thus, age‐related changes in the immune function can potentially affect SVD development. "


https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.120.018506
 
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It happens a lot. Usually without any clear reason why, other than SVD does happen with tissue valves. As Debby suggested, there are going to be some that are on the shorter end of the curve.

Recent studies suggest that it may have more to do with the more robust immune systems of young patients, rather than their level of activity. In the valve world, 60, Debby's age at her first AVR, is still relatively young and many 60 year olds still have robust immune systems.

" SVD rates are substantially higher in young subjects and especially infants, cohorts of patients characterized by an overactive immune system.... On the contrary, patients >70 years old most commonly undergo redo valve replacement because of a prosthetic valve endocarditis rather than SVD, a trend perfectly explained by the host immunity factor.78 Thus, age‐related changes in the immune function can potentially affect SVD development. "


https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.120.018506
Thanks, very interesting. There is a Covid theory out there that is suggesting older people are dying from it because there immune system goes into over drive resulting in death. All very interesting.
 
d333gs--I've never been an athlete. I walked regularly, hiked fairly regularly and went to the gym some the first few years. I think I just was on the short end of the curve of tissue valve longevity. I do know that one of the cusps was found to be torn, which explained the regurgitation I didn't have the first time. The replacement is Medtronic Open Pivot, chosen by the surgeon.
Thanks Debbie
 

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