homograph info

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M

mike

Hello, I am writing on behalf of my husband Mike. He is 37 and had mitral valve repair 4 yrs. ago. Unfortunatly his symptoms are starting to return..fatigue, shortness of breath. In a recent visit to the Cardiologist I inquired about the homograph valve and the dr. new nothing about it. Where can I find more info on it? He really doesn't want to take blood thinners for the rest of his life, he has a somewhat physical job and is pretty physically active. Can people return to their normal activities if they have a mechanical valve and are on coumiden? Surgery is probably 2 yrs away, if not sooner. Any info would be welcome!:confused:
 
Hello,

People with a mechanical valve and on Coumadin can resume full activities. Although, high contact sports should be avoided. Severe bumps or falls would be a concern for people on Coumadin. Severe falls or bumps could cause internal bleeding.

Personally, I have resumed all my prior activities. I just think more before I act, and in some cases tapper down the the aggressiveness that I may have taken before. For example, I will not water ski as aggressively as I did before. there are many advancements in the heart disease and heart care areas. You may find a whole new realm of possibilities a few years from now.

Rob
 
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Welcome to our forum.

Usually a mechanical valve is recommended for middle agers since it promises to last the rest of one's life and not require another surgery. The downside is that it requires taking a blood thinner like Coumadin the rest of one's life. Many people manage very well with this; others struggle to keep their INR level stable and with other complications, such as the risk of stroke.

For managing with a mechanical valve, check all the past posts on the subject on this site and you'll get a very good idea of the pros and cons of it.

For alternatives, such as a homograft or other tissue valve, there are also quite a few here who have chosen that route, such as myself. A normal homograft lasts about 15 years or so, on average. The trade off is the risk of another surgery versus the risk of taking blood thinners over that amount of time, plus some peculiarities of each kind of valve. If you choose to go with a homograft, you need a surgeon who is experienced and confident with this type of valve, of which there are many.

There are also more or less experimental developments of new valves which promise to avoid both a lifetime of blood thinners and further surgery. I chose such a valve, called the CryoValve-SG, a human valve (homograft) which is treated in such a way that it promises to last the rest of my life (I am 50 and just had AVR two months ago). So far, it is going extremely well. There are other similar attempts to solve the further surgery vs. lifetime of blood thinner problem with both human or animal tissue valves and mechanical valves. For mitral valve replacement, I heard from someone on this site that the Cleveland Clinic has a new type of mechanical valve that doesn't require Coumadin, but I don't know anything more about it.

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted and we will be glad to help you and your husband through this process as much as we can. If Mike indeed has a few years before surgery, which is not uncommon, then you should take full advantage on this site and elsewhere to become as knowledgeable as you can, especially from those who've been through it, about all aspects of valve surgery and especially valve choices.

Good luck and Godspeed.
 

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