Home > Community > Patient News Feed > Thomas Smeal

Thomas's Posts

Diagnosis: Aortic Stenosis

Member Since: April 25, 2012

Send Thomas a Note

My Posts

Thomas Smeal posted an update

11 years ago (April 10, 2015)

Can I get an MRI for my damaged shoulder? I have a St. Jude Trifecta, pericardia, bovine aortic heart valve (installed 6/6/2012). My heart valve identification card has some cryptic details on MRI procedures but I don't know what it means. My orthopedic surgeon doctor said no to an MRI... Read more.

Judith Collins

Yes you should be able to have an MRI only patients with pacemakers can not have an MRI, but call the facility where you are have MRI done and they can tell you for sure. Where I work we do them on valve replacement patients.

Judith Collins

Usually if you have surgery 6 months or more before getting MRI it is OK. Anyway that is what our facility where I work does. Some places have different protocols.

Greg Johnson

I had AVR and aneurysm repair. CE magna ease 3300 bovine tissue valve. Wired sternum. I had an MRI ordered by the surgeon three weeks after surgery. They were more worried about the bullet fragments than the valve / wires.

Thomas Smeal posted an update

13 years ago (July 26, 2012)

I received a letter from my heart surgeon explaining that my new St. Jude Medical Trifecta Pericardial Bovine Heart Valve bioprosthesis #25 (whew) is a registered prosthetic device and is considered an "implanted device". The valve is assigned a model number and serial number imprinted on a Patient Identification Card... Read more.

Thomas Smeal posted an update

13 years ago (July 16, 2012)

Kinda fun I guess. Today was my second visit to rehab at Fairview Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic system hospital. The routine is 20 minutes on the most boring exercise machine in the world - the treadmill, then 20 minutes on the really most boring exercise machine in world history -... Read more.