M
Marge
... what type of valve?
I met with the cardiothoracic surgeon that my cardio referred me to last Friday and he blew me away first off by saying that he expected to do a repair rather than a replacement. For some reason, I had the fixed idea that I am in such bad shape it would have to be a replacement, so I started in right away to bring up my concerns about the anti-coagulant therapy (given my prior history with heparin).
I think the way the conversation went was I said something early on about being worried not only about HIT but about being on coumadin for the rest of my life.
He looked surprised & said, Well, you wouldn't--only for a short time. I said, Yes, if I got a biologic valve.
Then he interrupted me and said, But there is a 90 per cent chance I would be doing a repair. I was so startled! Up to that time, all the doctors I had seen (my PCP and two cardios) had been talking "replacement." So we spent the rest of the consult talking about what repair surgery entails, and his experience with it. He did, of course, tell me what I already knew, that only after you start can you be absolutely sure you can do a repair rather than a replacement. But only after I left did I realize the issue of what kind of valve I'd have, if it turns out during the surgery that I needed a replacement, never came up again.
Of course I will see the guy again--probably late January--after my other tests and before surgery (surgery probably in February). Is that when we would actually talk about types of valves?
And what should I know about these valves? Right now all I know is there are biological valves and there are mechanical valves. I know a bit about why mechanical are chosen in preference to biological, and vice versa. But I don't know anything about the different valves within these two types. Is there somewhere I can get a quick & dirty rundown on the different ones currently in use? (So I can be prepared to talk to the surgeon about this when we do get around to it.)
I met with the cardiothoracic surgeon that my cardio referred me to last Friday and he blew me away first off by saying that he expected to do a repair rather than a replacement. For some reason, I had the fixed idea that I am in such bad shape it would have to be a replacement, so I started in right away to bring up my concerns about the anti-coagulant therapy (given my prior history with heparin).
I think the way the conversation went was I said something early on about being worried not only about HIT but about being on coumadin for the rest of my life.
He looked surprised & said, Well, you wouldn't--only for a short time. I said, Yes, if I got a biologic valve.
Then he interrupted me and said, But there is a 90 per cent chance I would be doing a repair. I was so startled! Up to that time, all the doctors I had seen (my PCP and two cardios) had been talking "replacement." So we spent the rest of the consult talking about what repair surgery entails, and his experience with it. He did, of course, tell me what I already knew, that only after you start can you be absolutely sure you can do a repair rather than a replacement. But only after I left did I realize the issue of what kind of valve I'd have, if it turns out during the surgery that I needed a replacement, never came up again.
Of course I will see the guy again--probably late January--after my other tests and before surgery (surgery probably in February). Is that when we would actually talk about types of valves?
And what should I know about these valves? Right now all I know is there are biological valves and there are mechanical valves. I know a bit about why mechanical are chosen in preference to biological, and vice versa. But I don't know anything about the different valves within these two types. Is there somewhere I can get a quick & dirty rundown on the different ones currently in use? (So I can be prepared to talk to the surgeon about this when we do get around to it.)
