Advancement and the future of Mechanical Valves/ Blood Thinners, ETC

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weird ... I thought my post was optimistic. I got to live longer, I got a future withou surgery and I got for myself good control over my INR (by advances in tech) that enabled me to travel the world.

Perhaps by optimistic you mean your own particular view of what we all should have?
You’re probably right. I’m sorry. Was just trying to be excited about life expectancy recovery options for young patients after being discouraged in a seminar with Dr Paul Seltzer and Ismail Hamamsy.
 
You’re probably right. I’m sorry. Was just trying to be excited about life expectancy recovery options for young patients
no problem, adjusting to new news is hard. I was lucky in that I was 5 when diagnosed. That I'm 56 now suggests you're going to be fine in this modern age (my first OHS was at 12 IIRC)

Lots of options and life expectancy is pretty much "usual" ... actually I'd say better than usual because I'm healther than my cousins who lived bad lifestyles!

If I may quote from a stoic and a psychologist:

Our character is destiny. (Heraclitus)
The blows of fate may be kind or cruel and other people may treat us poorly or well, but our experience of these things and what we do with what we are given is dependent on the state of our character. The cultivation of a great character is a task of the utmost importance. (Jung)

I believe that I learned much from overcoming obstacles and fighting for what they took for granted

PS: some perhaps lengthy rumination I made prior to my last surgery:
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2011/11/heart-of-matter.html
as it happened I got an ATS ... which I'm pretty pleased with.

http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2014/01/heart-valve-information-for-choices.html
Best Wishes
 
I agree with Warrick. The Tria Valve would potentially change EVERYTHING. December 21 we will hear more. And a 5 year follow up in 2024.

I was recently told many people in the cardio industry are very excited about this. Huge potential.
I was recently told many people in the cardio...sorry but is this Trumpism?
Bioprosthetics have degradation and calcification issues.
Mechanicals have fluid dynamics issues.

One necessitates replacement, the other has an increased risk of blood clots and requires anti-coagulation.

To be excited about a new valve these are what they have to overcome and then it would not be a question of what brand. It would be, this is it.
 
Boston Scientific Corp recalled LOTUS Edge Aortic Valve System due to "complexities" related to the product delivery system.
 
Not to speak for nobog, I think that what he's trying to say - but can't because he may be limited by non-disclosure agreements, - is that similar valves - using plastics or similar materials as leaflets (instead of solid materials like metal or pyrolitic carbon) have probably been tested in labs on non-humans - and developers are still trying to find long lasting, effective alternatives that are more lifelike and may eventually become suitable for safe use for decades.

I can't imagine technologists just siting on their thumbs because current valves work well and provide decades of good performance -- there's a lot of money (in addition to a minor effect - saving lives) - to developing a better alternative. And this involves developing and testing synthetic materials. There's a LOT of wear and tear on any leaflet - and it's awfully damned challenging to come up with ANY material that would last for decades. (Even natural tissue - porcine or bovine valves - have limited lifespans.

(Gruesome thought - for some people with bad valves - instead of heart transplants, what about transplanting valves from the young unfortunates who become organ donors? With these kind of donations - just valves, instead of entire hearts, more than one life can be saved - mitral valve in one person, aortic in another - I said this was gruesome).

Oh - one more thing -- 'blood thinners' do NOT thin blood. They increase clotting time. It's unfortunate that this pair of words has caught on.
 
Anticoagulant management doesn't have to be a big deal. Many of us self-manage, and have been doing it for years.

Going to doctor's offices or labs for testing (and relying on doctors, nurses, pharmacists or others who are purported to know how to manage INR - not always very well) is another option.

I'd much rather continue to manage my INR - involving incising my finger and putting a drop on a strip that's been inserted into a meter, and monthly (or so) having a blood draw to check accuracy of meter (not really necessary) - than having my chest cracked open, or having a non-invasive repair of a bioprosthetic valve.

And - correct me if I'm wrong - having to take anti-rejection drugs to assure that the bioprosthetic valve isn't rejected by the body - probably doesn't sound any better than taking warfarin daily.
 

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