John's Posts

This seems very counterintuitive and goes against any general "rule". Having said that, is there a chance your dad might have misunderstood something? Also, are there any other medical issues that might make the surgeon lean against a tissue valve, e.g. abnormal calcium metabolism reducing the lifetime of tissue valves, size of the valve, etc. I suspect the surgeon gave bad advice but question him rather than outright dismiss his opinion. My two cents.

It sounded weird. This guy wasn’t his regular cardiologist and he’s also not a surgeon. I think part of it is where he lives on the Oregon Coast - small towns & small town doctors. My dad has regurgitation like me. TAVR is a less likely option. But it doesn’t sound like he has an aneurism yet so it might be. It sounded like this doctor was in a hurry and didn’t spend a lot of time talking to my dad. He was more interested in finishing his day and getting to whatever was after work. My dad has a lot of other health issues that seem to me like they wouldn’t make a full sternotomy the best option at his age. The main one is his lungs and risk of pneumonia and/or plural effusion. I told him that the surgeon will give him their recommendations for a valve type and surgical procedure. Bigger surgical centers will give him more options.