Scott's Posts

Hi Scott, There are a number of people who chose the Ross procedure.Has that been looked into or isn't available? My decision was easier at 66,to get a tissue valve.I'm still on a blood thinner,Eliquis and not sure if it's okay to take with a mechanical valve right now,maybe Warfarin only.To me, it's just another pill.I've minorly cut myself and didn't bleed,like what was imagined.Wounds tend to take longer to heal,though.

Scott, I was thinking the same thing that Brady brought up, the Ross Procedure. You may want to look into it. Everyone is different and several people on the site have had it including our founder Adam Pick. That being said, to give you some perspective, I was 59 and on the edge as far as mechanical or tissue. I ended up with getting a tissue valve mainly due to not wanting to take Warfarin. My advice is always the same...do your research, make a decision and the go with it and don't second guess yourself. It will be the right decision for you. God bless you on your heart valve journey. Please keep us updated. You've come to the right place for support. 👍

As you know by now, both come with their pros and cons. However, there have been significant advances in bio valves. The Edwards Inspiris valve is now highly regarded and is said to have a much longer life span. It is the one I got 3 months ago (I'm 59). As with everything in life, there are no guarantees, of course. But you should discuss this with your medical team. If it lasts 15-20 years and can be later replaced via a TAVR procedure, that's something to think about.

I've been doing pretty well after Ross procedure 11 weeks ago. I'll be 25 next week. I would recommend finding surgeons that do a large volume of Ross procedures/ avr's in general if you'd like to explore that option. My Surgeon's assistant says generally 50 years old is the cut off for Ross procedures but it all depends on your health and anatomy. My cardiologist didn't even bring up Ross procedure and generally he said they recommend mechanical for younger adults. I kind of had to seek it out myself after reading many peer reviewed journal articles and deciding it was the right option for me. Good luck!

I met with Cardiologist yesterday. Heart Cath and CT of heart show everything is good for valve replacement...referred me to Univ. of Miami for minimally invasive surgery...waiting to hear from them. He still is adamant about getting a mechanical valve. I am terrified of the clicking noise, blood thinner, dietary restrictions, and activity restrictions. UGH. Maybe I will be able to ask the surgeon. I've done a lot of reading and am frustrated because it seems many studies on the bio valve life are older studies.