John's Posts

I don't know that I've ever seen a recommendation on that specifically. It really needs to be looked at as life over limb. In a prolonged cardiac arrest, if you don't combine CPR with defibrillation (shocks) you don't survive (not well anyway). At the same time, CPR relies on the chest wall to provide necessary stability for the compression. Although it is very common to break ribs during CPR, the mechanism is different with an already intact sternum, and I would guess not nearly as troublesome. The one thing I might consider with a VERY recent surgery and short "down time", is to be extra sure the person isn't already perfusing or in a heart rhythm I can fix before starting CPR. The reason CPR is actually working these days is because we have learned to start CPR early, go hard and fast, and minimize interruptions. We are saving more people now than ever before with good coordinated resuscitation. In the case of a very recent sternotomy, I might look at the EKG first and see if I can use electricity right away, deliver a shock, and avoid CPR. However, I wouldn't spend too much time making this determination. Sternums can be fixed. This is a great question and i'm sorry I can't give a definitive answer, but that I still used a lot of words :) I hope i'm not too far off in what I did say. Take care.

Hi John 😊 I had the valve in valve (TAVR) August 2015. It was my 4th aortic valve replacement. Im 45. The other 3 were done through open heart surgery starting at age 19. I'm healthy and my surgeons at Cedars Sinai expect the new valve with TAVR to last just as long as a traditionally placed OHS (Open Heart Surgery) bovine valve, 10-15 years. Plus they can do it again next time. So far so good 💛. I feel awesome! It really is the future. Don't worry about the things you read online about the study phase. The first TAVR patients were very, very old and had other health issues (kidney disease, diabetes, pulmonary issues), that is why they were approved for the study, because they wouldn't have survived a full open heart surgery and the remaining years of life were already shorter to begin with (hence the 5 year survival rate). Just stay healthy and active and you will have a nice long life. I have no restrictions on my lifestyle at all. Super quick procedure. Miracle procedure really! If you have any questions let me know!