Valve Replacement Factoids

[Perrster]

I was surfing through the American Heart website yesterday and found some interesting 1998 heart surgery data as follows:

There were 553,000 bypass surgeries performed, 89,000 valve replacemement surgeries, 2,346 transplants and 92,000 open heart surgeries. Not sure why open heart is categorized separately. Not sure why the data isn't closer to today's date.

I either saw it here on our forums or heard it in Nashville, but somebody had an interesting descriptive name or definition of valve people compared to the larger number of bypasses performed. I can't remember what it was!&*? Went something like...valve people are secondary citizens compared to bypassees (as the AHA facts attest to)? They pay less attention to us? Was it a discussion on insurance companys that won't pay for rehab because valve patients don't meet their criteria?

See what happens when you don't write something down!

Thanks. PerryA

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Perry,

Believe Janie headed up that conversation? Janie?

Anyway, a lot of individuals do not know the difference between 'bypass and open heart'. Since bypass is the most common of the two.....you usually here something like my uncle had open heart surgery. All of his arteries were blocked. Bypass is not open heart. Just as serious....but not as invasive for sure.

Not sure if that helps?

 

[Rain]

by pass-- open heart

by pass-- open heart

Can you believe this??

My brother-in-law had double by-pass surgery last Monday morning. He was NOT even put on the heart and lung machine?! WOW! They took one artery from his arm and the other from his chest...... not a vein from his leg.

By Wednesday (two days later) the only thing he was on was oxygen and pain killers! Tomarrow... he is arriving at my house for a week of recovery.

I am also happy to report to you guys that some insurance companies DO pay for phase III rehab. My cardio didn?t believe my insurance would cover phase III either, but he wrote a script anyway and...... they are at 90%........ for the rest of my life! Never hurts to check!

Rain

 

[Zazzy]

Perry, I wasn't in Nashville, but I agree with Gina.... we are such a small minority in the heart biz! Everyone I have talked to says, "Oh so and so just had open-heart surgery for bypass." Some think it is considered open-heart surgery if the sternum is divided (for lack of better words lol). Surely bypass people go through the same trauma of worry about their hearts... but it really isn't the same is it?

Take care,
Zazzy

 

[joy]

Hey Janie, at least you haven't lost your ID and liscence 5 times since your surgery! LOL At least I haven't lost my mind!

Anyways, on a more serious note, My uncle had quadruple bypass surgery, and he's had like four different kinds of cancer, and yet he hasn't quit smoking! THAT is not a good thing. I will NEVER smoke again. I figure, I like my life too much. I need to make my husband quit now before he gets out of the navy when it's free! It's sad how some people can take immaculate care of their bodies, and have a lot of problems, but some people can go through life and smoke, and wonder why they have health problems.

I'm not really worried about that though. I just want my husband to quit smoking so he can live a better life. That's my little tidbit of my mind.

 

[maxximom]

where do I fit in?

where do I fit in?

Hey Guys!! where do I fit in here? I had BOTH a AVR AND a triple By pass!! I guess I get to have all bases covered.
Rain..I wasn't as fortunate as your brother in law..I was on the damm Heart lung machine for 3 hours and they used the internal mamery artery in my chest and the vein from my upper thigh (that was done minimum invasive surgery) I am still black and blue and swollen..I would hate to have had it done the traditional way. My leg hurts more than my chest..LOL!!
So where do I go for my rehab? Do I join you young chickens or go with the old farts my own age? Hmmm!! what a dilema!! LOL
Joan

 

[Christina]

Joan/Maxximom,

Rehab consists of young and old, so we all fit in there. I liked it a lot, and enjoyed meeting new people, eventhough they were not my age. Who cares! You are there to get better.
Hope you are doing much better, and I've heard many times that the leg incisions where they took the arteries is more painful than the chest incision.

Take care,

Christina
Aortic Stenosis
AVR 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
St.Jude's Mechanical
Coumadin 20mg a day.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

My surgeon believe it or not...did not push the rehab on me. He felt that having a very active 2 year old at home would do the trick for me. Yep...that was rehab enough and then some.

Though, if I were going there again... would defiantly do so.

 

[hensylee]

Think we've had the 'open heart' discussion about a year ago and decided that opening the chest was the same thing (to get to the heart). I think we've all had the surgery done to save our lives and live a better one so what difference did it make - tho, you valve replacers ought to yell your heads off if you don't get same treatment. Sometimes I think the drs do bypass to make $ and then some more. It apparently has become an easy procedure, tho still major surgery, and there is a line waiting to get in. Probably not as many surgeons who do valve replacement and their voice is not as loud as bypass surgeons. What do you think?

All my drs referred to my quad bypass as 'open heart surgery'.

God bless

 

[joy]

Wow Gina, I think my 3 year old was my rehab! I have 2 of them! Is that rehab? They are very crazy. I only had my mitral valve replaced, though. My cardio doesn't like replacing them in young patients, but he saw me post op, and he thought we'd made a good decision. Nevertheless, I still have at least two more surgeries ahead of me...maybe, it depends on what they come out with in 15-20 years. They are doing amazing things in medicen today!

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Joy...God Bless you girl! Twins, double trouble? Would have to say that is defiantly your rehab!

How long has it been since your MVR? Sounds like you may have had a tissue replacement?

Enjoy your little ones. Time goes fast. It's been almost three years since my MVR. My little one is now five.

Take care

 

[joy]

No, I forgot to say the ages of my kids. Ian is 3 and Erik is 6 months. They are still a handful!

My MVR was done two months ago today, August 27th.

Ah yes, Janie...All my male nurses hit on me because I am young and had my wedding ring at home. It was fun, I got special treatment, and didn't have to eat that hospital food. Well, I better get going, it's supper time here in the pacific northwest! Rainy too! Have a good night, giirls!

 

[McCln]

PerryA

PerryA

Just saw your post and it did not shock me in the least. You would be surprised that at many websites for Cardio-problems, the inromation is very outdated. I even tried to get information on catherization and the information was few years old. So keep hanging in there. They will update the information you are seeking someday. Just have to hang tough. It is sad though that information that we so desperately need is so insufficient. Maybe someday.



Caroline
9-13-01 Bypass
St. Jude's Valve

 

[McCln]

Joy

Joy

I hope you are successful in trying to get your loved ones to quit smoking. I just did so eight months ago. I never want to go back either. Perhaps they will someday. Hopefully before their health gets any worse.


Caroline
09-13-01
St. Jude's Valve

 

[Lisa in Katy]

My insurance didn't approve any rehab because I didn't fit the risk category. They explained that valve problems weren't caused by bad diet or lack of exercise, and rehab was to teach people better habits, as opposed to getting your heart back in shape.

On another note...
Since I had Rheumatic Fever when I was 14, and RF is considered a pediatric disease, I spent a month at Texas Children's Hospital as the senior person on the floor. My youngest roommate was about 10-12 weeks old! I stuck with my Pediatric Cardiologist at TCH through my first pregnancy and last saw him at age 30. The final straw was when I had my baby with me for my checkup, and they brought a very small cover and told me to take her clothes off. I figured it was time to switch.

Frankly, I liked the clientele at the Pediatric Cardiologist better, although I do feel young when I go to the Cardiologist now. It seems like everyone else is very close to dead! I always get stared at and usually have comments about how young I am to have heart trouble!