Adam’s Heart Valve Surgery Blog

If you ever wanted to learn more about the Ross Procedure, this is the place to do it. The second-annual Ross Procedure Summit kicks off in Atlanta today. Here are the details:

Elite cardiovascular surgeons from around the world will travel to suburban Atlanta this week for the two-day Ross Procedure Summit to review and discuss current peer-reviewed data relating to the survival advantage of the Ross Procedure and to practice the technical nuances required to perform this heart surgery successfully.

The Ross Procedure is a type of specialized aortic valve surgery in which the patient’s diseased aortic valve is replaced with his or her own pulmonary valve. The pulmonary valve can then be replaced with a cryopreserved human pulmonary valve.

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Linda just sent me an email about one of the surgical options for aortic valve replacement, known as the Ross Procedure or “Switch” procedure.

She writes, “Hi Adam - I was curious what your surgeon told you about how long the Ross Procedure would last. My doctor said it would last the rest of my life.  But, during my yearly echos (and other testing), we have detected severe leakage of the aortic valve and moderate-to-severe leakage with my pulmonary valve.  I had to have both valves replaced in March of this year. I had the Ross Procedure 15 years ago.  I’m curious to find out your experience and others. Thanks, Linda”.

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I just received the most fantastic picture of 5-year old Garrison Griffith. His mother, Vanessa, sent me this picture along with a very reassuring note about her son’s heart valve surgery.

Vanessa writes, “Here’s Garrison about a month after his Ross Procedure. It is now six months after the double, heart valve replacement and Garrison is doing great!”

How great is that picture? Way to go Garrison and the Griffith family!

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.

As with any surgery, you or your caregiver should develop some form expectation about the potential success and failure rates of that surgery. This thought definitely applies to a complex heart surgery like aortic valve replacement.

That said, my family and I did LOTS of research before I decided that the Ross Procedure was the best option to remedy my narrow heart valve (severe aortic stenosis).

I just received an email from Greg that reads, “Adam - I need my aortic valve replaced. I’ve heard a little bit about the Ross Procedure. I’m 50 years old. Do you have any statistics or data about the success/failure of the double valve replacement over time?” 

In response to Greg’s question, I have learned more-and-more about the Ross Procedure over the years. Recently, I developed a separate page which illustrates the results of this unique type of aortic valve replacement.

To see these statistics, click Ross Procedure Results For Aortic Valve Replacement.

Keep on tickin!

Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.