Surgeon just called a little while ago. Now I find out, I do have to have my aorta replaced also. It is dialated and forming an aneurysm in first portion of aorta. So.......now, instead of just an AVR, I must have the root, ascending aorta. I will find out tomorrow about whether or not I have to have the bypass surgery. Speak to me fellow vr friends. What's your experience been with this type surgery and how long did your surgeries last? Any complications? Did you choose tissue or mechanical for this? Thanks everyone for being here.
more news from surgeon
- Thread starter Angel
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Many on here have had both (valve and aorta) done. It's pretty common. Not to worry. I can't speak from personal experience, so again, will shut up and let others reply. Just wanted you to know, until they do, that it's going to be fine. Go look through some replies to other threads while you're waiting to hear directly from some of the experts and note how many mention (in their "signature" at the bottom of their post) that they had both. I bet there's probably more people who had both, than who had just a valve.
sunflowergirl
Well-known member
Angel I am having both and may have root replaced too.....He wants to see how it looks when he gets in there. I hope you do not need bypass.....my fingers are crossed for you. But if you do, it is all going to be fine. Better to get it all fixed at once. Thinking of you, Robin
Im having aorta and valve done in 3 weeks. Ive chosen the Mechanical Valve. Id rather deal with Coumadin than another surgery in 10 - 15 years.
Thank you all. Robin, I'll be in the hospital tomorrow having my heart cath., but trust me, as much as my "loopiness" will allow me, I am going to be thinking of you and your surgery and praying for all to go so good for you. You're going to do great, I just know it. Also, Robb Wilder, Keep us updated on your upcoming surgery. I know my last 3 weeks have flown by, seriously. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers also and I'm glad you've made peace with your "mechanical" decision. It is a personal choice. My choice was going to be bovine tissue, until I found out tonight that will not be a choice for me since I have to have the aorta replaced also. So, now I'm going with porcine. I can only pray that each one of us VR friends here, make the right decisions and that definitely includes myself also. Bless you all.
All the best to you tomorrow Angel. We'll be waiting to hear from you..
ks1490
Well-known member
Angel, I'm not aware of any reason why you can't get a bovine valve if you're also having the aortic root replaced, as that's precisely what I had done two months ago. I had my valve replaced with a bovine valve and an aortic graft. Adding the aortic graft dimension to the valve replacement adds some time to the procedure but not to the complexity, it's pretty routine.
Philip B
Well-known member
Valves?
Valves?
Angel,
Surgeons often have preferences with regards to what valves they like to work with.
I opted for an artificial valve. My first preference was an On-X, but this particular valve isn't available with a factory installed conduit. One of my concerns was getting off of the heart-lung machine as quickly as possible. Another was reducing the number of connection points required for the aortic graft. My surgeon recommended a St. Jude with the required conduit. It's been a good fit for me.
It would be worth asking your surgeon why he believes porcine is a better option for you than bovine. He may have some very sound logic that will increase your comfort level.
-Philip
Valves?
Angel,
Surgeons often have preferences with regards to what valves they like to work with.
I opted for an artificial valve. My first preference was an On-X, but this particular valve isn't available with a factory installed conduit. One of my concerns was getting off of the heart-lung machine as quickly as possible. Another was reducing the number of connection points required for the aortic graft. My surgeon recommended a St. Jude with the required conduit. It's been a good fit for me.
It would be worth asking your surgeon why he believes porcine is a better option for you than bovine. He may have some very sound logic that will increase your comfort level.
-Philip
this graft procedure is what I just started another post about.. sorry peeps.. my brain is a little foggy these days ... Angel you will be in my thoughts tomorrow when you get your angio done.. no worries all will be well. Well the worst part is the food they feed you when you are in there lol
