Bicuspid Aortic Valves and Ascending Aorta Replacement

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Leoneida

Leoneida

Active member
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
26
Location
Tampa, Florida USA
Hello
I am new here, I am from Venezuela and I live in Tampa Fl.. I was diagnostic Bicuspid aorta with severe stenosis and one month ago my surgeon(Dr. Edward Savage) told me I have ascending aorta damage too. My surgery is schedule the September 28th in the Cleveland Clinic Florida. Sep, 11th I have a app with my surgeon;
I just wondering who have the same surgery, experience, advice's etc. I was searching in internet but I do not find any thing about Ascending Aorta replacement with Valve replacement too. :confused:
Thank you
Note: Sorry for my English.
 
Hi, and welcome!
I think if you check the signatures of those posting in the pre-surgery and post-surgery forums, you'll see that there are several members that have undergone aar and avr. You can also check the Bicuspid aortic valve forum for posts from others.
I had a bicuspid aortic valve that was replaced with a bovine pericardial valve in 2005, but happily I have had no aorta issues.
I will add your surgical date to our calendar. In the meantime, I hope you read through the forums and ask as many questions as you can before undergoing your surgery.
By the way, I think your English is very good. Much better than my Spanish!
 
Hi Leoneida!

I have had a similar condition to yours; I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and I also had a 5.2cm aortic aneurysm. My surgery was July 2011 to replace the valve and repair the aneurysm, one year later I'm doing really well.

In my case, I did not know about either condition until 3 months prior to my surgery. The hardest part for me was keeping calm before the surgery, I was told to NOT lift anything over 20 pounds and to NOT do any push-ups or sit-ups. I was also put on an ACE inhibitor and although it was okay for me to continue to run, I ended up just walking instead.

Please keep in mind, that although our conditions are the same, everyone is different. Make sure to talk to your doctors on the specific things you can and can not do before and after surgery. My surgery went well and I was happy to have most restrictions lifted.

Please feel free to PM me anytime you would like to talk to me about this.



Rachel
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. I had my operation to replace my AV and ascending aorta a year ago by coincidence on September the 28th 2011! As Rachel says, everyone is unique and it's important to discuss any concerns you have with the relevant medical professionals. If you have not made any decision yet on your choice of valve then I would recommend reading the posts on this forum, they helped me enormously.
Personally, I was amazed how quickly I recovered and apart from a very thin red line on my chest I am back to normal and getting back to my previous level of fitness.
I would be happy to discuss any concerns you have or just to help by sharing my own experiences and choices.
 
Hi Leoneida,

I had the same surgery at the Cleveland Clinic 8 years ago. They have a lot of experience with cases like ours. My surgery went very well and yours will too. Who is your surgeon?
 
Welcome!
5 and a half months ago, I had my aortic valve replaced and an aortic aneurysm repaired. I recovered quickly and have not felt this good in a long, long time. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face because I am still not used to feeling so good!
Read, ask questions, have your surgery, do what they tell you to do, and then get on with your life. All will be well. :)
 
Lots of people get ascending aorta and even root replaced with their BAV. If root must be replaced they even make one prosthesis which has valve and aorta in one.
 
Hi Rachel!
I born also with BAV, I knew it what didnt know was my issue with the aorta. Anyways my surgeon told me I can drive for one month, I am doing well 0 stress, what it concern me is post surgery, pain, stress etc. i want to know how long was your recovery? I am working full time and have short term disability but it does not take long just 11 weeks. Thank you for ur replay. Sorry if I do not replay quickly.
 
Hi Palious
How quickly was your recovery? I hope my recovery goes fast and good. It concern me alot. I am not afraid about the surgery, pre surgery or the days in the clinic.. I already decide for the mechanical valve. Thank you for your replay.
 
Leoneida,

I went to Cleveland. No matter which location you go to, the surgeons are excellent. Good luck.
 
Rachel said:
Hi Leoneida!

I have had a similar condition to yours; I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve and I also had a 5.2cm aortic aneurysm. My surgery was July 2011 to replace the valve and repair the aneurysm, one year later I'm doing really well.

In my case, I did not know about either condition until 3 months prior to my surgery. The hardest part for me was keeping calm before the surgery, I was told to NOT lift anything over 20 pounds and to NOT do any push-ups or sit-ups. I was also put on an ACE inhibitor and although it was okay for me to continue to run, I ended up just walking instead.

Please keep in mind, that although our conditions are the same, everyone is different. Make sure to talk to your doctors on the specific things you can and can not do before and after surgery. My surgery went well and I was happy to have most restrictions lifted.

Please feel free to PM me anytime you would like to talk to me about this.



Rachel
Click to expand...

Just for a comment, and not to be critical for one moment, but from what was written it may be that you do not actually have the same condition.
An Aortic aneurism and a dilated aortic root is not typically the same condition. An aortic aneurism is where the layers on the aorta (the intima, media and tunica, start to separate, and whilst an aneurism can involve the aortic root, it is not actually the same thing.
 
I have to talk with my surgeon, now I am confuse:confused:, I was told from my surgeon Asst. that they will replace the Ascending Aorta, It is the same at Aortic aneurysm?:confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2: I am very confuse. I need to wait till Sept 11 to talk with him. I live 5h away from my surgeon:confused::confused::confused:.
 
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ramjet said:
Just for a comment, and not to be critical for one moment, but from what was written it may be that you do not actually have the same condition.
An Aortic aneurism and a dilated aortic root is not typically the same condition. An aortic aneurism is where the layers on the aorta (the intima, media and tunica, start to separate, and whilst an aneurism can involve the aortic root, it is not actually the same thing.
Click to expand...

Actually you might be confusing things, pretty much the difference between a dialated Aorta (anywhere, root ascending etc) and an aneurysm is the size. An enlaged section of te Aorta is considerred "dialated" until it reaches a certain point, I believe 1.5xs normal or something close to that, then it is classified as an "aneurysm".

When the layers on the aorta (the intima, media and tunica, start to separate is considerred dissecting and is usually requires emergency surgery, before it ruptures, where an aneurysm can be pretty stable and watched for years in many cases, until it gets to the point that the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks.

Now i am not saying whether their conditions are the same, altho it looks like they both have BAV and ascending Aortic issues, just hopefully clarifying a little
 
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Leoneida, firstly I hope you have a good discussion with your cardiologist and or surgeon to clarify your condition and proposed procedure. Your age, health and current fitness obviously has a impact on the rate of recovery. I was asymtomatic and was regularly running and hill walking. I was out of hospital in seven days and starting walking. After a couple of weeks I walking several miles and short hills. Gradually increasing distances and elevations over the next three months helped recovery at an even pace. At this point I started jogging again and gradually increasing distances and pace. After a year I am not quite at the level of fitness prior to my operation, however, I can keep pace with many other people much younger! Everyone will be different however I hope my experiences will help. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have.
 
Hi everyone:D
My surgery is done. The surgeon found out that my aorta valve was not bicuspid, was not tricuspid, it had just one leaflets. It was so small that he wondering how I was living like that. He just cut the bad part of the ascend. aorta and attached it with the mechanic valve. After 5 h they was done but was little complication. My left lung colaxed but they fixed I even remember it.:thumbup:
I start to speak after they removed the pulmonary tube. BTW it hurt me a lot. Was awful :eek2:
Them they removed the tube for the drains(HURT ME ALOT) and the ones that was on my neck, It was not to bad.I have a lot of pain but with the pain killer they control it. Some nights I woke up with pain and call right away the nurse.... :)
The put me on coumadin and lovenox. My INR is 1.3 they want to send me home but I am scare to do so.
I am so swollen I gain 22 pounds just from water. From yesterday to today I gain 2 pounds and my blood is no right
Besides that I think 3 days after a open heart surgery is not enough. I have a question for you guys, How long they cut the antibiotics, or how long they put you on antibiotics. They cut my antibiotics at the 2nd late in the day I believe the last one was 11.30 am.

I should speak with my surgeon today. And he will answer me all my questions.
Thank you guys for your praying.
 
Leoneida,

You can count on the professionals at Cleveland Clinic to manage your medications including the antibiotics, diuretics and anticoagulants. Ask lots of questions to help you understand why certain medical decisions are made. The doctors and nurses should not be bothered by your questions and your desire to understand your care.

The average hospital stay after traditional open heart surgery is 5 to 7 days. Your doctors and nurses will decide when you're ready to be released based on your medical condition. If you don't feel ready to leave, tell your doctor. You might also consider staying a day or two in a nearby hotel until you feel ready for the long drive back to Tampa. When I travelled from Kansas to Ohio for my surgery on July 3rd, I had to buy my airplane tickets in advance. I was released on July 9th (day 6 after surgery). My flight home was scheduled for July 11 so I spent two nights in the hotel next to the hospital. It worked well for me and gave me confidence that I was only minutes away from the hospital if I felt the need to return.
 
I am already out the clinic. I have all my medications. I feel great and confident. We stay at the hotel and we going back to Tampa tomorrow. You have right guyswell about the Cleveland clinic.
 
Congratulations! I'm very happy for you. Have a safe trip home tomorrow. In the coming days, weeks and months of your recovery, some days will be better than other days. If you have any worries, just call your doctor.
 
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