TAVI Valve in valve

[epstns]

I think clawie1 is referring to the procedure, often performed with a robot, whereby they can repair or replace a valve (usually hear of mitral valves being done this way) through one or more small incisions without cutting the sternum. Often the surgeon is able to open a space between the ribs to gain access to the heart.

When I asked my surgeon if this was a possibility for me, he said no because I also needed a bypass procedure. I'm not sure if they can gain access to the part of the heart where the aortic valve is, either. His closing comment to me was that the recovery would be about the same anyway - heart surgery is heart surgery. He might have been being a bit cavalier, as some members here have had minimally invasive valve surgeries and claimed they had less pain during recovery. Could be. During recovery, most of my problems had nothing to do with pain, though, and the sternum healing never gave me any trouble. Probably the luck of the draw.

 

[pellicle]

I think clawie1 is referring to the procedure, often performed with a robot,.

Interesting, not sure I'd ever heard of it much before. Thanks

 

[clawie1]

Interesting, not sure I'd ever heard of it much before. Thanks

Hi pellicle,

Some of us on this site were fortunate enough to qualify for minimally invasive open heart surgery including me. In my case, all I needed was a simple aortic valve replacement, nothing more. My angiogram showed I had clean arteries, and I did not have any other health issues therefore I passed the "test". Yes, I was on heart bypass. My incision (about 3" - 4") was made between the ribs in the upper right chest area. In addition to the replacement, the surgeon did a "myomectomy" - a procedure wherein the surgeon shaved (smoothed) part of the heart that was a little hardened. A part of my rib was cracked in order to perform this procedure and a titanium plate was used to facilitate healing.

My AVR surgery was July 22, 2013. I am now 10 weeks post op and as of yesterday, my cardiologist gave me a clean bill of health - no restrictions. I was told by some, including health professionals, that I might have more pain during recovery because muscle, nerves, etc. were cut but honestly, I was off prescribed pain pills within 2 weeks and used Tylenol or Advil after that. Please understand everyone is different. I also feel being in fairly good physical shape before surgery added to my speedy recovery.

To find out more about this, all you need to do is search 'minimally invasive heart surgery" where you will find lots of information including great articles from Cleveland Clinic. Please understand too, some surgeons prefer the traditional approach even for simple AVR because it has a proven track record, and they have experience in doing it. If anyone is interested in minimally invasive heart surgery, I would seriously advise them to have it done in a hospital who have lots of experience in this field. Nita

 

[pellicle]

Hi pellicle,

Some of us on this site were fortunate enough to qualify for minimally invasive open heart surgery including me.

well I probably wouldn't qualify anyway (even if it had been available to me in 2011 in Australia) as I've had a valve repair when I was 9, a homograft when I was 28 and when they identified my Aortic aneurysm in 2011 I would guess that it just wasn't an option for me.

Not to mention that with so much scar tissue and whatnot around it makes the operation harder. I would be curious to know if they do these on "fresh" patients only or if they do them as part of reoperations. Reoperations are tricky stuff and require a lot more preparation and skill on the part of the surgeons.

I expect that for kids being born now who are diagnosed they will have heaps more choice options. Personally I'm glad that in 1974 (my valve repair) I got the option to be here now anyway.

 

[clawie1]

Hi pellicle, I had my surgery at Keck Medical Center of USC, Los Angeles and I was surprised at the number of people who were having reoperations. These people came from all over the world because their local surgeons or hospitals were not equipped or experienced to handle these cases. I encourage all to do as much research as possible to make the best decision given your particular history. And pellicle did I mention I am 73. Nita

 

[pellicle]

And pellicle did I mention I am 73. Nita

no you didn't ... but young at heart ;-)