Special Webcast: Cleveland Clinic Surgeons Discuss Mitral Valve Treatment Using Da Vinci Robot

Hi Adam,

After doing research regarding minimally invasive mitral valve surgery, I elected to have my valve repaired using Da Vinci Robotics. All my research indicated there would be less recovery time, less chance of infection, shorter hospital stay, etc. My cardiologist highly recommended the minimally invasive option as well. I’m 41 healthy/fit, and a yoga instructor.
I was told I would be in the hospital 3-5 days and would recover quickly. I had my valve surgery on September 8, 2008. During surgery, my aortic valve was punctured. The surgeon patched it however, it did not hold. I was on the heart/lung machine for 3hrs.55min. and did not wake up for 2 days. During surgery a blood clot possibly from the puncture? caused me to have a mild stroke. Therefore when I woke from surgery, I could not move. I was able to use my right side w/in a couple of days but, my left side did not function. After 12 days in the hospital, I went home and had occupational as well as physical therapy in my home 3x a week. So, here it is almost 3 months later. I have made significant improvements but still have difficulties w/ my left arm and hand shaking and twitching. I’m having an echo done every 6 weeks to check on my leaking aortic valve. I’m told it is a moderate leak and won’t need surgery for a long time if at all. I think my experience is an unusual one but, I would like to know how this could have happened and if this has happened to others?
Thanks for having an informative an uplifting site.
Warm Regards,
Karen Dove-Essenmacher
Chesapeake, VA

Hi Adam,
Thanks for the heads up about this broadcast. Last June I was
told that I was a candidate for mitral valve repair because my lifelong Mitral Valve Prolapse was worsening at age 71, and I now had “significant” reurgitation. In doing my research, I watched Drs Mahaljevic and Gillinov in a presentation of Dr M doing a DaVinci assisted MV repair on the Cleveland Clinic website.
On Sept 17th, Dr Tomislav Mahaljevic repaired my by then severely regurgitating MValvve using the robot assist. He had to repair both the anterior and posterior leaflets, and inserted a Cosgrove-Edwards Annular Ring to stabilize my “greatly dilated annular ring”. I cannot say enough to praise Dr. Tom nad all the staff at Cleveland Clinic. It was welll worth the trip from NH to get the treatment and care I received there.
I will be joining the broadcast with grateful interest.
BTW, thank you for your suggestion about Cardiac Rehab during recovery. I will be graduating from my six weeks in the program neat week. The support and help was very reassurung during my recovery, especially as I had some A Fib challenge

Hey Adam, hello! Here is a robotic surgery update for you.

I had my mitral valve repair January 23, with the Da Vinci robot at UCLA. It was a complicated repair and Dr. Shemin had to put in five anchor stitches to hold it as well as the annuloplasty ring. My echocardiogram at the end of October indicated a moderate leak at the mitral valve, rather than the ‘mild’ leak I had after surgery. So Dr. Shemin had me come down to UCLA to have the newest technology, the 3-D Trans Esophageal Echocardiogram, done by his eminent colleague Dr. Aman Mehajan.

This is an amazing technology – they can see your heart in total 3 dimensional glory so they get a great view of everything. I was knocked out pretty well with “milk of amnesia” so the test was not difficult. I did have a sore throat for a few days. Anyway, it appears that one of the sutures, the “Alfieri” stitch, has become disrupted, and so I have some leakage at that spot. I read that this can happen, although not frequently. The other stitches and the ring are doing fine.

When my blood pressure is low the leak is very mild. During the test my BP went up some and the leak became more pronounced, toward moderate. So I am encouraged to do everything I can to keep BP in low range, and I will have another echo (regular, not a TEE) in 6 months. If all looks the same we can look at my heart once each year. Everything else in my heart appears to be doing well, and I encourage everyone who reads your newsletter to educate him or herself about many cardiac issues they may not think about: pulmonary hypertension, diastolic dysfunction (especially women over 50- it is on the rise and can lead to heart failure), tricuspid regurgitation which can indicate pulmonary hypertension, ejection fraction, arrythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation…and in general to know as much as you can about your miraculous heart so that you can engage in productive conversation with your doctors and ask the right questions. The doctors appreciate it too – they really do!

Happy holidays to all of your readers, you and Robin, and baby-on-the-way, too!

Leslie Lafayette

Hi All
I am a 30 year old male and I have been diagnosed with severe mitral valve regurgitation. I am thinking of getting it done in Cleveland Clinic in Ohio as it is closer to my place. Looks like I am going to be a fitting candidate for Robotic surgery for repair.
Please let me know who is the best surgeon for this. Also what can be issues after the surgery in long and short term. I have been married just a few months ago so it is devastating for me and my family but how will the life going to be after the surgery? Will it pass as a bad dream or problems will keep lingering on? I am not able to find long term data on Robotic surgery so I will have to depend on the replies to this forum.
Please share your knowledge with me and help. Thanks.
Alex