OnX vs St Judes, ding, ding

[R&N Brown]

Al Capshaw did a good job at covering most of the pro's as to why I chose to go with an On-X Valve.

A couple additions;
It is my understanding that the On-x leaflet pins ride in a grove that allow them to open fully and through their movement wash the hinge point clean so as to be much less likely to clot in that area.

By design the On-X valve has a flair on one end that creates a vortex of sorts, that again, wash clean an area that in other valves allows blood to pool and clot.

These two points of difference were not the only reason I chose the valve although they weighted heavily on my decision. The opportunity to run a lower INR now, and, with the potential at some point to drop coumadin altogether influenced me as well. That possibility does not exist with any other valve that I am aware of.

I had my ascending aorta replaced along with my aortic valve so I know that under at least my circumstances it can be done successfully. I also chose to take part in the study that is ongoing in the states. So far so good.

Rob

 

[Hot Rod Harry]

What happened to the repair that is causing it to fail? I just had a Mitral valve repair not quite 2 months ago & am hoping to get a lifetime out of it.

Sorry to all that have replied, my internet time has been minimal. I appreciate all the input.

What happened to the "repair"? When I had it done, the surgeon told me that the valve was "worse" off than they initially thought, and then that the valve was leaking, and would progressively get worse, that it should last 2 - 3 years. Well, it will be exactly 3 years in June. Dont ask me why the surgeon wasn't prepared for the worse, and have a mechanical available as a second choice.

I've sent in my $$ for self payment on the COBRA plan, (that hurt), and will be able to get an appointment after that has been set.

I haven't decided which I will get, and will likely reserve making that decision until after I have consulted with the surgeon.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Sorry to all that have replied, my internet time has been minimal. I appreciate all the input.

What happened to the "repair"? When I had it done, the surgeon told me that the valve was "worse" off than they initially thought, and then that the valve was leaking, and would progressively get worse, that it should last 2 - 3 years. Well, it will be exactly 3 years in June. Dont ask me why the surgeon wasn't prepared for the worse, and have a mechanical available as a second choice.

SNIP

I haven't decided which I will get, and will likely reserve making that decision until after I have consulted with the surgeon.

There is a problem with the unstated assumption in your last paragraph.

Few Surgeons are intimately familiar with and comfortable with ALL of the Valve Options. MANY Surgeons (and Hospitals) only offer one or two mechanical Valves and one or two Tissue Valves. I know some who only offered ONE of each. It has been reported by several that some hospitals (including Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic) put their Valve Business up for competitive bid. You can find those discussions through the Search feature.

I will start with the obvious. If a Surgeon has never performed a Ross Procedure (or at least not since his residency), he is unlikely to offer that option to his patients.

Similarly, several of our members have reported that after asking their surgeons about the On-X Valve, the surgeon dismissed it as "too new" or "too untried", even after 70,000 On-X Valves have been implanted in 64 countries since it's introduction to the world market in 1996 and the USA in 2001.

IF a patient is interested in the latest technology inherent in the On-X Valve (or one of the newer tissue valves) it would seem to make sense that they contact a Surgeon who has experience using that valve. On-X can provide the names of surgeons who have experience implanting their valves. SOME of our members selected surgeons who had not yet used On-X and convinced them that they were willing to be their first (including one at CC).

Since the St. Jude (Master's Series) Valves have been around for 30 years, there is less of a problem finding surgeons with experience using that valve.

Bottom Line: For patients that have an interest in a specific valve (tissue or mechanical) that incorporates more recent technology, they may need to then find a Surgeon who is comfortable using that valve if they hope to receive the valve of their choice.

The surgeon with the most experience using On-X at CC is Dr. Pettersson who is ranked as one of the Best of the Best.

 

[sharad]

Members with On-X

Members with On-X

Do we have members who have been replaced with On-X valves, Please Share your post surgery experiences. This will definitely help in decision of selection of valves.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Do we have members who have been replaced with On-X valves, Please Share your post surgery experiences. This will definitely help in decision of selection of valves.

We have several members who have received On-X valves.
I wish I had kept a list or could remember all of their names...

Some are
ctyguy
dtread
R&NBrown
several more whose names escape me
check some of the threads where On-X is in the Subject Line

OR, start a New Thread asking for On-X recipients to identify themselves

Ask Ross if there is a way to Search the Member Profiles for Valve Type. That would be a useful feature.

 

[COLLEEN S]

St. Jude is the gold standard, but in all honesty, I'd go with the On-X given a choice. My surgeon wanted to use it on me, but since my aorta had already been partially replaced, he needed a valve with the graft sleeve attached and St. Jude was the answer at that time.

If you have an aneurysm and a valve replacement, the St Jude, from what I understand, is still the way to go because of the built in dacron mesh sleeve for the aneurysm repair.

 

[Read]

I got an on x aortic valve 12 months ago and it is great so far !!