Congratulations, Dick!
You have reached a milestone that few have attained and few will. We are all very jealous (myself included) for your good fortune.
You are truly the lucky one.
As to your record, there is no doubt that if you aren't the record holder, your certainly near first in the cue to claim the prize. In 1965, they began heat-curing the ball to make it last longer and all the other early designs had faults which cause them not to last. HVR were not even considered safe till the '70s which kept the number down. Back then, as is still true today, pts. under the age of 35 make-up a relatively smaller proportion of the valves that are replaced. Also, it is a fact that the case studies I have seen where a post-'65 Starr-Edwards was explanted (always due to causes other than valve failure) and replaced in favor of a more efffient valve, pathology all remarked about how almost "pristine" the explanted valve was. Finally, ACT testing was primitive compared to today and many of the early recipient died because drs. had little understand of the miracle drug warfarin or even the need for it. Given all those factors and the fact of life that people are aging out, it is very unlikely to be very many left in the "league" to play for the record. You are truly unique!
I think Dr. Starr comment reflected the fact that a model of that type was in common use before the Bjork-Shiley became the valve of choice in the '70s. Early implants pre-70s of any valve type were certainly rare by today's number. I have a possible lead on information on another early Starr-Edwards, that may still be alive but it is taking a long time to track it down. I'm pretty sure if you asked Dr. Starr specifically what are the chances of anyone having an implanted Starr-Edwards valve longer then you, his answer would be appreciably different because he is acutely aware of the historical reasons listed above.
In appreciation of Dr. Starr's pioneering efforts, the anniversary of which will occur next month, I am collecting a list of heart valver who wish to congratulate him on his accomplishment. If you or other wish to be included in the card, you may PM me here with a short message to Dr. Starr and I will copy and paste it to the list that I am compiling from other heart related websites. No matter what kind of valve you have, we all owe a lot to Dr. Starr.:thumbup:
I hope that those who find my rare post objectionable, will forgive my tribute to Dick and his accomplishment.:angel:
