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Ross Procedure, Double Heart Valve Replacement, Adam Pick


 
 

THE ROSS PROCEDURE - AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT SURGERY
By Adam Pick, Patient / Author Of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery

 
 

Ross Procedure Surgery - Special Aortic Valve Replacement
The Ross Procedure - A special
aortic valve replacement that uses
the patient's pulmonary valve as
the replacement valve.

 

The Ross Procedure Surgery

The Ross Procedure is a special type of aortic valve replacement surgery where the patient's diseased aortic valve is replaced with his or her own pulmonary valve. During the Ross Procedure, the pulmonary valve is then replaced with a homograft, also known as a human heart valve.

In children and young adults, or older active patients, the Ross Procedure offers several advantages over traditional aortic valve replacement with mechanical, bovine (cow) or porcine (pig) replacements.

Named in honor of its creator, English surgeon Dr. Donald Ross, the Ross Procedure is an innovative means of valvular replacement that was developed in the late 1960's.

Although cardiac surgeons in United States began using the Ross Procedure in the 1980s, it is still performed at select, heart care facilities including The Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital and USC Medical Center.

Advantages Of The Ross Procedure:

Although the Ross Procedure surgery is technically more demanding, the Ross Procedure has certain advantages over traditional valvular procedures:

  • No blood thinners (anticoagulants) are needed after the Ross Procedure. Alternatively, If a patient's aortic valve is replaced with a mechanical valve, the patient must take anticoagulants for the rest of his or her life. These medications (e.g. Coumadin) have a small risk of excess bleeding or hemorrhage. Therefore, the effects of the anticoagulants must be monitored with a patient blood test every 3 or 4 weeks.
  • No post-operative deterioration or calcification of the replacement valve. This can be a problem for patients who have their valve replaced from animal tissue - a pig valve or a cow valve.
  • No artificial material is used for the new aortic valve in the Ross Procedure. This avoids many problems including tissue rejection - since the new aortic valve is created from the patient's own tissue, the tissue is alive and healthy, instead of being frozen or chemically treated.

My Story With The Ross Procedure? On December 21, 2005, I had aortic valve replacement via the Ross Procedure at USC Medical Center. Dr. Vaughn Starnes performed the operation.

> Next: To learn more about the Ross Procedure surgery and heart valve surgery recovery, click here.

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