Brian's Journal

T.C. Sayles  Hi Brian! First of all, you will do great and surgery will be a success! You are young! I am 46 and just got a Resilia Aortic Valve on 2/12/19. Not by your doctor, but by Dr. Vaughn Starnes @ USC Keck. They really like them and have been using for them from what I understood a bit, but said to me, 15-20 years. So yes, similar response in longevity. Mine is from a cow, so if you think of the lifespan of a cow, maybe that's how they come up with the predict??
The one thing I notice is that my heart beat is more prominent and a bit louder. I don't notice it all the time, but when I rest it is stronger and louder. But that is normal I am told.
Best wishes, thoughts and prayers!

Brian Jensen  thanks for the info. so difficult to choose a valve with all of the unertainty. I know that i don't want to be on coumadin for the rest of my life. At 61 years old looks like the resilia is a good choice. How are you doing 6 weeks after surgery? I am praying for your speedy recovery!!!!

William Fults  I had Dr. svensson install a resilia tissue valve on 02/26 of this year. Like any Dr. he didn’t say how long it would last, but he did say in 5 years there have been no failures of the valve, and that it’s an excellent choice for younger patients. I’ve read that the hope is 2-3 times the longevity of the old style bovine prosthetic, ive also heard 20-25 years. So it’s really hard to say, but it sounds like tests have all pointed to a longer useful life of the valve.

William Fults  There’s a great video on YouTube of Dr. svensson installing a resilia valve he talks it up a bit. Just search his name and inspirus resilia, if you don’t mind the visuals.

T.C. Sayles  Brian, I was off the thinners at 4 weeks!!! Thank you for asking! I am doing well, except my incision opened up and I am a bit set back, can't start cardiac rehab. (I had a hematoma on my scar burst and it led to more of it opening and I didn't really catch it!) But honestly the first weeks are hard, and my best suggestion is to rest rest rest! If the body wants to sleep, sleep!!! I napped 2xs a day and slept! I didn't watch much TV until 3 or so weeks. And I had to live up to what was expected and that was walking a mile a day by 4 weeks! I did it. Shoulder pain was harsh, but tylenol helps. Get off the pain killers as fast as you can, but if you have to ween off, do it slowly, I did it too fast and it was hard! lol And I'm 46 and a big baby when it comes to my chest!! lol Oh, OHS and the scar and opening itself is not as painful as going in through the side where they have to slice muscle! Trust me! And knowing you are not going to die from this (which shocked me) is helpful. Being on the bypass machine for 90 minutes and the surgery was not going to kill me..it was the risk of stroke from the bleeding that would and that % is sooooooo very LOW...they won't tell you 0%, but it is close to that. You are going to do great!!! Let the nurses help you and listen to them! Decide you are going to come out of this with flying colors and you will! It is hard, but you can do it!!!

Brian Jensen  thanks TC, so glad you are now on the way to a full recovery. good luck going forward. William, what a video, I watched it and it was very interesting how they can manipulate the heart during surgery. Dan, so thankful that your surgery is behing you. Thanks everyone for your responses and info., it has been very helpful!!

Dan Vechiola  Hi Brian! With the help of this site I did ALOT of research on where to go for my surgery and what surgeon to use. I chose Northwestern Memorial in Chicago which is where I live. Northwestern is ranked # 7 of the country for cardiac surgery and Dr. Patrick McCarthy is the Chief Cardiac Surgeon there and he also in charge of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Clinic there. I have a lot of respect for Dr. McCarthy and Northwestern as a result of my research and even more since my AVR surgery using an Edwards Inspiris Resilia valve, which was his recommendation, on September 6, 2018. When I met with Dr. McCarthy prior to my surgery he projected 20-25 years. He also joked at that time and said who knows by then it might just take a pill to fix things when it goes and laughed and said "Who knows with the ways things are advancing so quickly lol." Its been 7 months for me and I feel 20 years ago great. Most noticeably my vision seems alittle more clear. I also hear my heart pounding louder at night when I lay on my right side. My left shoulder aches alittle from them opening up my rib cage with a mini sternotomy but that is about it. Keep grinding and let us know of any of your developments.

Dan Vechiola  Hi Brian! With the help of this site I did ALOT of research on where to go for my surgery and what surgeon to use. I chose Northwestern Memorial in Chicago which is where I live. Northwestern is ranked # 7 of the country for cardiac surgery and Dr. Patrick McCarthy is the Chief Cardiac Surgeon there and he also in charge of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Clinic there. I have a lot of respect for Dr. McCarthy and Northwestern as a result of my research and even more since my AVR surgery using an Edwards Inspiris Resilia valve, which was his recommendation, on September 6, 2018. When I met with Dr. McCarthy prior to my surgery he projected 20-25 years. He also joked at that time and said who knows by then it might just take a pill to fix things when it goes and laughed and said "Who knows with the ways things are advancing so quickly lol." Its been 7 months for me and I feel 20 years ago great. Most noticeably my vision seems alittle more clear. I also hear my heart pounding louder at night when I lay on my right side. My left shoulder aches alittle from them opening up my rib cage with a mini sternotomy but that is about it. Keep grinding and let us know of any of your developments.

Catie B  Brian, several members last year had their surgeries at Mayo and I hope you'll hear from some.
As I recall, Adam has responded to questions about Mayo before and he has reached out to them in the past. Hopefully, he'll chime in. If I understand correctly, the hospitals on this site are not an exhaustive list but are ones that have opted to participate here. You can read about sponsorship and sponsored content in the About Us section.

Glen Miller  Hi Brian. I'm interested in any answers you receive. I have been referred to Dr. Hartzell Schaaf and/or Dr. Joseph Dearani at Mayo in Rochester. I am waiting for a scheduling call. The referral was made by my cardiologist who did his training there. I had the same questions as to why Mayo is not on this site.

Phyllis Petersen  I don't know how to connect people on here, but if you look a little ways down in my Guestbook, Ben Hyman has sent me posts and has done a lot of research before choosing Mayo.

Glen Miller  Phyllis, Thank you for the direction to Ben Hyman's journal. I found a lot of helpful information there including the excellent explanation from Adam regarding Mayo.

  Brian, go to Cleveland Clinic's website. They have a section where you can ask questions and I requested research articles on a problem I am having and they sent me three articles to review. It was very helpful. I do know they are growing DNA valves now, but I don't know how on the horizon this is.

  I am 40 and just have valve replacement on 12/1. I had a congenital defect...bicuspid aortic valve. I was diagnosed (or made aware of my congenital issue) in 2009 (lived a normal life with no restrictions) and my opening was about .9 at the time of diagnosis. It just fell under .8 right before surgery, but they were most concerned about my velocity rating, not my opening. What is your velocity rating? My cardiologist correlated it with putting your finger over a water hose and that was how blood was flowing out of my valve. I was also dead set on going to Cleveland Clinic, but my cardiologist suggested I meet with a surgeon in a local practice. I was more than impressed with the surgeon and the facility actually receives referrals from Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic audited their files and practices. I was able to get a minimally invasive replacement and was incredibly happy with the hospital. I am in Dallas so I think any large metropolitan area has great physicians. I think everyone progresses differently depending on the issue and depending on how active you are, etc. Good luck!

Patricia Garcia  Brian the Cleveland Clinic is really a terrific hospital. I went there on my second surgery. On my third surgery I had no time to prepare to go there and went local to the University of Pennsylvania and I must say they were on the same level as the CC. My surgeon was excellent and the nursing care was also outstanding. Check out your local hospital before you venture away from home you may be surprised by what you find.

Brian Jensen  I live in Des Moines IA. We have a regional valve clinic that specializes in TAVR, heart surgery, etc. but the hospital gets horrible ratings in terms of infection rate, valve surgery mortalities, 30 day mortalities, etc. I am being steered toward a local surgeon by my cardiologist (the surgeon seems very capable) but still concerned about overall outcomes from this hospital. Of course I obtained the hospital ratings from the internet and when I question my Cardiologist about the data he does not agree with the findings but can not give me a contact that can negate data in question. I tried contacting the hospital but they referred me back to my surgeon ? Any ideas on how to confirm this info. or relieve my concerns with this hospital ?

Thanks all....

Patricia Garcia  It was hard for me when I had my last surgery. I went to the best on my second surgery. They did not take my current insurance. The UNPENN has a pretty good reputation but not the same as Cleveland Clinic but the surgeon has an unbelievable reputation. You have to feel comfortable with who and where you are going.

Elaine Cutri  I live in the Los Angeles area and I had my surgery at Cleveland Clinic and was very happy I did. My primary physician wanted me to not only find the best surgeon, but the right support team and facility. I did some research and found the surgical, 30 day, and multiple surgeries outcomes were much better than the national average. This was going to be my 4th open heart surgery to repair an ascending aorta aneurysm. I had surgery 7 months ago and I feel I recovered faster this time than my last surgery 22 years ago. Finding the best surgeon at the best facility is really important! Best wishes. Hope we can be supportive.

Patricia Garcia  Brian on my first surgery I went to the surgeon that my Cardiologist referred me to. He was terrific but the hospital was terrible. On my second surgery I chose the Cleveland Clinic and my Cardiologist had a bit of an ego problem that I went somewhere else. Needless to say I had gotten a new Cardiologist since then. On my last surgery I went on my own to the University of Pennsylvania and my Cardiologist told me to go where I felt comfortable and that is what I did. I think these doctors refer friends and at times they are not what is best for us.