18th valversary for my bovine valve

[Duffey]

They said it wouldn’t last, but 18 years later my Edwards Magna Perimount is still working well. I was 52 when Dr. Kouchoukos replaced my stenotic aortic valve. There has been little to no change over the years. I hope everyone who undergoes replacement will have the same good fortune.

 

[pellicle]

I personally think its better to under promise and over deliver, but indeed this is why its difficult to choose and many factors come into play. Not everyone is as lucky.

Congratulations on another anniversary.

 

[Seaton]

Happy 18th!
Congratulations on another year. Fantastic and inspiring news.
Long may it continue.

 

[tom in MO]

Congratulations Duffy. Way to go.

 

[erricojj]

They said it wouldn’t last, but 18 years later my Edwards Magna Perimount is still working well. I was 52 when Dr. Kouchoukos replaced my stenotic aortic valve. There has been little to no change over the years. I hope everyone who undergoes replacement will have the same good fortune.

Congratulations! I hope for similar good fortune with my Inspiris Resilia. Installed at 70 yo. Coming up on 1st anniversary.

Is there any correlation between calcification and one's diet? I asked my surgeon this question and he said 'no, there is not'.

 

[Croooser]

Congratulations Duffy! I am guessing that this is exactly what you hoped for.

 

[Croooser]

Congratulations! I hope for similar good fortune with my Inspiris Resilia. Installed at 70 yo. Coming up on 1st anniversary.

Is there any correlation between calcification and one's diet? I asked my surgeon this question and he said 'no, there is not'.

Same answer here. Also asked a Specialist at CC if statins help reduce calcification and he said that, at one time they hoped for that, but that it does not appear to be the case.

YMMV

 

[johnnycake23]

Stories like this are inspiring to us tissue-valvers. Congratulations on #18. Keep it up.

 

[cp172]

Congratulations!! Bet you uplifted a lot of tissue valvers day. Great to read good news like this.

 

[skeptic49]

Congratulations, Mary! That's great. Keep going. BTW, I just had my right knee replaced in March. Will get the left one done in October hopefully. Recovery from that is tougher than from OHS!

 

[Eva]

Very happy for you and wish you many more healthy returns, Duffy.

 

[Chuck C]

Congratulations! That is great news!

 

[Lisa2]

Congratulations! That is truly wonderful. I hope your valve continues to serve you well for many years to come. It is interesting that some of us get longevity out of a prosthesis and many of us don’t.

 

[enkaynj]

They said it wouldn’t last, but 18 years later my Edwards Magna Perimount is still working well. I was 52 when Dr. Kouchoukos replaced my stenotic aortic valve. There has been little to no change over the years. I hope everyone who undergoes replacement will have the same good fortune.

Duffey, I am very "heart"ened to hear that. I had the same valve put in 12 years ago. So far, no issues; so much so that I even forget my valve-anniversary days. I will be very thankful if mine lasts as long as well. Fingers Crossed. May I ask what model is yours? Wish you continued success with your health ! Thank You for sharing your information.

 

[MartinF]

That's a great report. Hope it continues to work well for many years.

 

[john b]

Hi Duffy you are doing great, my bovine is 14 years and looking for a lot more. We are now getting the stats on that generation of valves. I think the future is tavi judging on my wife’s recent experience of out of hospital the day after the procedure. Quality of life is excellent on this generation of valve.
Best wishes Johnb

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Duffey - I've just seen your thread. That's fantastic that your valve is still going strong at 18 years ! Mine is coming up to 10 years so hope it will carry on so well.
All the very best !

 

[macdaddy]

So I'm going to tip toe in here. I've been watching this site since I was diagnosed with severe Aortic Stenosis, about 6 weeks ago. It was difficult trying to translate all the acronyms and medical jargin, but I've slowly started to catch on. My initial perceptions here were that "mechanical good...bio bad" and I this only served to confuse me more. It's been recommended to me to seriously consider bio because of my 71 years on this planet. But then comes the "they're only good for 5 years", and other negative feedback.

Duffy, Paleowoman, john b, MartinF, Et Al, has given me great hope and helped greatly to settle my fears and confusion; it means a great deal to me. Tomorrow, I meet (for the 1st time) my referred heart surgeon; and I'm praying for God's guidance on what to ask and how come away confident in what my next steps should be. But the main takeaway from all this is, now, I feel I can give bio an honest consideration; you've all given me great confidence on judging both mechanic and bio equally.

PS To EVERYBODY who posts in here, I've learned soooo much, with the links to medical reports, personal experiences, etc.; thanks to all of you for helping me wade into this with more knowledge.

 

[Survived03]

Mac daddy (I love the name), I think you will find that in the US >65 yo a bio valve will be recommended. I don’t know where you have read that a bio only has a five year life. Not true. That product or intervention would be dead on arrival with nobody choosing or recommending a bio. I believe you will find a claim of a 10-15 year life conservatively, especially at your age.

It’s not a given you won’t require another OHS but if your bio wears out and all the measurements (valve size, Sinotubular junction, space between current valve seat and coronary arteries) are conducive to having a TAVR valve-in-valve procedure then it will be less invasive and perhaps a great option.

Regarding “mechanical good, bio bad” I have never made that conclusion based on this forum. My observation is that this forum has a more active group of mechanical valvers perhaps due to years of experience, a lot of questions and great input regarding the management of warfarin therapy. I wouldn’t take that as a lack of endorsement of either valve type.

If you have specific questions please reach out. I went through a deep dive on this recently and I am 63 yo. Good luck.

 

[Beach77]

@Survived03 Maybe he's talking about a TAVR, since he's 71? My doctor told me TAVR last 5 years and good results up to 10 years, but after that, the data isn't there yet.