chengyi li - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

chengyi liposted an update

1 day ago

I am 26 years old and was born with congenital heart disease. When I was about one year old, I had open-heart surgery through a sternotomy to treat ...Read more

I am 26 years old and was born with congenital heart disease. When I was about one year old, I had open-heart surgery through a sternotomy to treat pulmonary valve stenosis. After that, I lived a mostly normal life and had very few noticeable symptoms, so I did not keep up with regular cardiac follow-up as closely as I should have.
In 2025, I decided to have my heart checked again. I then learned that I had developed severe pulmonary regurgitation, pulmonary stenosis, severe tricuspid regurgitation, and significant right ventricular enlargement. I was surprised because I did not feel very sick, but my doctors explained that surgery was needed to prevent further damage to my heart.
On April 22, 2026, I had redo open-heart surgery with Dr. Jordan Bloom. I underwent pulmonary valve replacement with a 26 mm gender-matched acellular pulmonary homograft, tricuspid valve repair with a 28 mm Physio ring, and PFO closure. The surgery went well, and I am now recovering.
My most recent update is that I developed a postoperative pleural effusion. I have been having a frequent dry cough and am scheduled for drainage. This has made me anxious, because I am not sure whether it is simply part of the normal recovery process after surgery or whether it could indicate something more concerning.

Rose Madura You are young to have to go through all this. Many people have pleural effusions and I was one of th ... Read more

Rose Madura You are young to have to go through all this. Many people have pleural effusions and I was one of them. The procedure was done when I was in the hospital and they did it in my room so I imagine it will be an outpatient procedure. I wish you well. Please let us know how everything goes.

chengyi li Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I actually had chest tubes while I was still in the ho ... Read more

chengyi li Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I actually had chest tubes while I was still in the hospital, and by the time they were removed, there was only a small amount of pleural effusion left. However, during my weekly follow-up chest X-rays, they found that the fluid has been increasing and is now compressing my right lung.

They scheduled me for an outpatient interventional radiology appointment next week to drain the pleural effusion. But over the past few days, my cough has been getting noticeably worse. I can’t really bend over without coughing, and I also cough a lot when I lie down to sleep.