{"id":757,"date":"2009-04-11T09:05:22","date_gmt":"2009-04-11T14:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2009\/04\/11\/aortic-root-repair-mechanical-valve-dacron\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T10:28:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:28:01","slug":"aortic-root-repair-mechanical-valve-dacron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2009\/04\/11\/aortic-root-repair-mechanical-valve-dacron\/","title":{"rendered":"After Double Heart Valve Surgery And Aortic Root Repair, Jonathan Smiles In Traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talk about an incredible, patient attitude towards heart valve surgery? I thought all of you might appreciate reading about Jonathan Abramson… Here is Jonathan’s story:<\/p>\n

Hi Adam,<\/p>\n

I am 29 years old and just had my second heart surgery.\u00a0 I was born with a congenital diseased aorta. Growing up, this never affected my lifestyle. \u00a0I was always a very active person and played sports in high school. After college in 2002, I had a mechanical aortic valve replacement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Everything was fine, until a few years later when a routine echo discovered a 5.7cm aortic aneurysm that was partially caused by my initial mechanical valve being too small for my body.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Jonathan<\/div>\n
Jonathan Abramson – Double Heart Valve Surgery Patient<\/div>\n

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I recently had my aortic root repaired with a Dacron graft<\/a> as well as a new larger mechanical valve.<\/p>\n

I had the procedure done in Stanford by Dr. Craig Miller, who recent performed heart surgery on Aaron Boone.\u00a0 I cannot give a higher praise to Dr. Miller and his team at Stanford.\u00a0 I felt more comfortable having this 12-hour operation that going for a routine teeth cleaning.\u00a0 They were awesome during both pre- and post-op.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\nDr. Craig Miller – Jonathan’s Surgeon<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s only been 6 weeks since the operation and I am back in the gym four times a week and basically have no restrictions except for not lifting as much right now since I am still being a little careful about the sternum. This summer I will continue my active lifestyle as I am an avid surfer even though I am on Coumadin therapy for life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I wanted to post this to help ease the mind\u2019s of people going through similar surgeries. I had all the normal anxieties that everyone else goes leading up to the surgery. Heart surgery may seem like a crazy surgery but the risks are relatively low<\/a> if you take care of them in a timely manner.<\/p>\n

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\nMechanical Aortic Valve Replacement<\/div>\n

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You can have a normal, if not better quality of life than most people and a normal life expectancy (new studies show valve surgery does not affect your life expectancy).\u00a0 I also feel that I can appreciate life more than people that haven\u2019t gone through such a experience and live life more passionately.<\/p>\n

For example, I remember a few weeks ago being stuck in Orange County traffic with a huge smile on my face.<\/p>\n

Related Links:<\/p>\n