About Me (In My Own Words)
Dr. Marc Gillinov (Cleveland Clinic) performed my mitral valve repair for severe MR as well as AVR for moderate AR. Valve work results were excellent. I bled via chest tubes post-op while still intubated in ICU and required 3 units of pRBC, 2 bags of cryoprecipitate and 2 bags of platelets. 6 weeks post-op I required a pericardial window for a large pericardial effusion and a subsequent left minithoracotomy 3 weeks later for lateral and posterior persistent pericardial effusions (admission was actually due to hypoxemia and mod. multi lobular pulmonary emboli. I still have a draining left pleural chest tube (15-250 ml. of serosanguinous fluid per day). I would like to hear of other patient's experiences with persistent or chronic post-op pericardial effusions after heart surgery. I am on colchicine and naproxen for pericarditis and Eliquis for pulmonary embolus management.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
My surgery date is: July 27, 2022
