I was just reading the New York Times when I came across a very interesting study about the use of “off-pump” techniques for heart surgery.
The study, just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that use of heart-lung machines may actually provide enhanced surgical outcomes (inclusive of pumphead) when compared to beating heart procedures.
The highlights of the study, which evaluated 2,203 patients that were randomly assigned to have bypass surgery on-pump or off-pump, were:
It has been a very tough morning for me. Without a doubt, these are the hardest blogs to write.
I recently learned that Valerie Fisher Raley Moriarty passed away over the weekend due to complications following her heart valve surgery.
Valerie Fisher Raley Moriarty (1980-2009)
According to her husband, Valerie experienced multiple organ failure and a heart attack following double heart valve replacement surgery. Having traded emails with Valerie leading up to her surgery, I am deeply saddened by her passing.
Memorial services will be at Bridges Funeral Home on Rutledge Pike, Wednesday, November 18 at 6pm in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her burial will be Thursday, November 19 at 11am at Caledonia Cemetery on Ruggles Ferry Parkway.
My thoughts and prayers are with Valerie, her husband Bill, her family and friends.
About The Author:Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
Alice just sent me a great question about incision and scar care after heart valve surgery.
She writes, “Adam, I am 55 and had open heart surgery to replace my valve about three weeks ago. Most of my scar looks OK, flat and thin. My concern is the top of the scar — around and above the top of the incision is a big protruding lump. It is soft, not hard, and is not sore. Did this happen to you? Thanks, Alice”
Patient Incision After Heart Valve Surgery
Alice’s question just brought back a distinct memory from my early recovery. Like Alice, I also had a bump at the top of my incision. It wasn’t very noticeable but I questioned Dr. Starnes, my surgeon, about the bump during my surgical follow-up.
As we have seen through the inspiring stories of Teppo Numminen (NHL hockey star) and Aaron Boone (MLB baseball star), several athletes have returned to professional sports after heart valve surgery.
Here is a great story about competitive cyclist, Michael Gnatek. At 43 years of age, Michael required mitral valve repair surgery due to a mitral valve prolapse. To treat his leaky heart valve, which caused a life-long heart murmur, Dr. Paul Massimiano from Inova Health System in Virginia used a minimally invasive approach.
One of the most amazing elements of Michael’s story is how quickly he was discharged from the hospital…. One day! However, please remember, each patient case is unique. As my research suggests, the average patient stay in the hospital is about five days.
Patient Days In Hospital Following Valve Surgery
I hope you enjoyed this video about Michael Gnatek and Dr. Paul Massimiano.
Keep on tickin!
P.S. Would you like to celebrate your surgeon? Now, you can join over 450 patients who have shared their surgical experiences at our new Heart Valve Surgeon Database. Click here to learn more.
About The Author:Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
All rights reserved. Use of this website, Heart-Valve-Surgery.com assumes acceptance of the terms herein. All logos, pictures and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. This website has been developed and presented by Adam Pick, author of "The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery." Patient's stories herein, and the language used regarding heart valve replacement and heart valve repair, is intended to inform and educate. HOWEVER, it does not imply that you or anyone else will receive the same outcome. As with any medical procedure, results will vary among individuals, and there could be pain or substantial risks involved. These concerns should be discussed with your health care provider prior to any treatment so that you have proper informed consent and understand that there are no guarantees to healing. Adam Pick does not offer medical advice on this website. This information about valve replacement and repair is offered for educational purposes only. Do not act or rely upon our information without seeking independent professional medical advice. The transmission of this information does not create any relationship between you and Adam Pick. Adam Pick does not guarantees the accuracy, completeness, usefulness, or adequacy of any information available at or from this transmission. Heart Valve Replacement and Heart Valve Repair
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