new implant for aortic aneurysm spares valve

[river-wear]

My husband just found this link and sent it to me because it was so interesting that a "regular guy" could make a real difference in how an aneurysm is treated. I'm sure it'll be awhile before it gets here from the UK, but figured I'd share it:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/analysis/uk-engineer-develops-own-life-saving-implant/1006877.article#ixzz1BzlHK2J4

 

[traveler]

Cool! It looks like it was a lot of fun to design.

 

[jake]

I find this curious as I seem to be hearing a lot of people in the UK are not being offered valve sparing root reconstruction as opposed to removal of healthy heart (all be it bicuspid) valves just because they are in there fixing the aorta.

I would love to know why this seems to be the norm particularly with younger patients. I’m 45 and opted to keep my healthy bi-cusped valve and was advised to by several surgeons. According to them, this is a very common occurrence with folks having great success with keeping bicuspid valves for a lifetime.

 

[epstns]

It could be the surgeons' version of extreme caution. They may feel that they should replace the valve "while they're in there" to avoid a possible need to replace it in the future. What they don't consider is that only a relatively small percentage of patients presenting bicuspid aortic valves ever develop problems requiring replacement. IIRC, it is less than 10%.