Mitral Valve Leakage After Repair

[johnp]

I am now 3 years post MV repair. The repair was done using DaVinci at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The good news is the my EF is now back up to 70, the palpitations are gone, and per a very recent echo, the left atrium is now almost nornal while the left ventricle is now normal too. Before the repair, I had both leaftlets badly prolapsing, the regurg was as bad as it could possibly be, the LA was huge and the LV was large too.

I am now back to triathlons, long distance swims, road races, long and gueling bike rides, ...all the stuff that keeps me from having a mid-life crisis. So this is 100% proof that you can have valve surgery and return to a very high level of exercise and endurance.

The only thing that worries me slightly now is that I do have some regurg. It has been labled as mild-moderate 1+ or maybe even 2+. There is no prolapsing. hard to say if this has gotten better or worse since surgery, I suspect it has gotten slightly worse, but not sure yet.

For those who have done some research or may have been in this situation what have you seen or heard? What is the expectation on a repaired valve?

 

[Adrienne]

I had a very complicated MV repair (done a different way). Right afterwards, there was no regurgitation. A year later, there was mild, three years after the operation there was moderate. So far, it has stayed moderate, and everything else is basically stable too. My cardio once said (after I asked him) that if I live long enough, I probably will eventually need a replacement. On the other hand, as I said, things have remained stable for a while now. So, I guess all we can do is hope!!!

 

[chaidell]

Which leaflet did you have repaired? Posterior, Anterior or both?

My cardio told me that only the simplest repairs should be attempted via DaVinci. Reason being, the anulus ring has to be tightly sewed in, and the DaVinci seems to be less effective in doing this than the surgeon. Over time the ring loosens from the power of the pumping action. The hospital that my cardio works from used to promote the DaVinci method, but now I am actually being refered to a different Surgeon in another hospital. Seems that cases like yours are not uncommon.

The good news is that if you elect to have another surgery later on, you at least didn't go through the sternum the first time. So, I would elect for the mini T approach the 2nd time.

Also, you could very well stay in the moderate range for the rest of your life. I would recommend a beta blocker to keep your heart rate in check. No need to put it through more cycles for no reason.

I am now 3 years post MV repair. The repair was done using DaVinci at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The good news is the my EF is now back up to 70, the palpitations are gone, and per a very recent echo, the left atrium is now almost nornal while the left ventricle is now normal too. Before the repair, I had both leaftlets badly prolapsing, the regurg was as bad as it could possibly be, the LA was huge and the LV was large too.

I am now back to triathlons, long distance swims, road races, long and gueling bike rides, ...all the stuff that keeps me from having a mid-life crisis. So this is 100% proof that you can have valve surgery and return to a very high level of exercise and endurance.

The only thing that worries me slightly now is that I do have some regurg. It has been labled as mild-moderate 1+ or maybe even 2+. There is no prolapsing. hard to say if this has gotten better or worse since surgery, I suspect it has gotten slightly worse, but not sure yet.

For those who have done some research or may have been in this situation what have you seen or heard? What is the expectation on a repaired valve?