Mini-Sternotomy??

[Lorimacm]

My doctor is hoping to do a mini-sternotomy to replace my aortic valve. He said this should be possible as long as there are no other problems and he only needs to work on the aortic valve. He'll do a 4-5" incision, move a portion of bone to the side and go through the aorta to access the valve and I should have an easier/faster recovery.

Has anyone had this? I am hoping he can go this route, would love to have a faster recovery.

Thanks,
Lori

 

[BAVD John]

Well, yes and no. The orginial plan for my replacement was to have a mini-sternotomy. My surgeon said the incision would be between 3 and 5 inches. The surgery went well and I was in recovery by noon or so on the 28th of July. About 3 in the afternoon while still in recovery I had my first episode of internal bleeding, back to surgery I went and they were able to control the bleeding. At about 7 pm I was moved from recovery to cardic ICU, about 10:30 or so my ICU nurse noticed my blood pressure was dropping and that the color of my drain fluids was pretty red. Off to surgery I went at about 11 pm, just after my wife and family were settling in at a near by hotel. This bleeding episode was very hard on my wife and family. The bleeding was taken care of and I never knew what happen as I slept through everything. I awoke for the first time early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 29th when they were removing the breathing tube. I went through 7 units of blood through my 3 surgeries on the 28th. My mini turned into a full sternotomy as the surgeon's needed to increase the size of the incision to stop the bleeding. When I asked my surgeon what had happened he stated that in 1 or 2 percent of the cases internal bleeding does occur. I was the rare case with 2 separated issues of internal bleeding. My surgeon does almost 350 surgeries a year with a majority of them being valve replacement.

I apologize if my post upset you. I just thought it was important for you to know of my experience. I was hoping for the smaller incision but in reality it did really doesn't matter. I'm just happy to be alive and my recovery is going well. I'll mark a spot on my calendar for you. I wish you a succesful and uneventful surgery.

 

[jax]

i had a mini when i had my mitral valve replaced. that was only 3 months ago and i have been back to work at the automotive factory i work at for a month now. i would say by week 3 i started getting more energy and the pain started to go away and i could take tylenol at that point to manage it. everyone's recovery is different though so although you can get some ideas from people on here until you go through it you reall don't know what kind of recovery you will have but that being said i would say a mini would heal quicker than a normal one.

 

[ctyguy]

My AVR was a mini, incision is roughly 4 to 5 inches. If your only dealing with the Aortic valve and have no other mitigating issues then your a candidate for it. I would question your surgeon to understand how many of these he/she has performed. My surgeon said it was "standard" for him now when performing an AVR with no other factors. The only difference (that I know of) is that they are working simply in a smaller space. Some surgeons want to do a full sternectomy in case issues crop up, its a comfort thing as best I can tell.

While I do think I was up and around a bit faster, I don't think it was all that much faster. Still felt like I had been hit by the proverbial truck but I was back at work (desk job), about 5 weeks post-op.

 

[Kathy McCain]

I had a mini incision for my AVR. I guess it's appox. 3 1/2" long. I did have complications though. My surgeon performed a pericardial window, one week after the AVR, due to effusion. I then developed about 2wks afterward, acute pericarditis. I am still taking a lose dose of prednisone 5mg., for this. I had the surgery last Feb. I am starting to feel "normal" again. I was pretty much asymptomatic, before the surgery. I do have some chest wall issues, and little aches and pains. My cardio tells me that in time, (sometimes it takes up to 2yrs) I should recover completely from the pericarditis. As far as the little aches and pains, he says some people are never completely rid of it. I might add, I had an excellent surgeon, who has an excellent reputation. I was healthy, except for the congenital bicuspid valve, and the stenosis. I might add, I'm still healthy. My echo last week was normal. My stress test was excellent. My heart, and valve are doing great! So I guess I can't complain! Everyone's recovery is different though. Sometimes, it does take a little more time. Just have patience! You will do fine.

Good luck to you, and please keep us updated.

 

[MikeHeim]

I had the mini (5") when my mitral valve was repaired almost four years ago. I'm not sure that my recovery was any faster because of it. What takes the most recovery time is what they do to your heart, not the bone they have to cut through to get to it. I had no chest pain to speak of after the first couple days, but that seems common even for people with the full 11" variety.