Todd's Journal

Susan Lynn  Welcome,  Todd!  You've come to the right place! 

Most of us will tell you to get multiple opinions and to do your homework on your surgeons, volume of their mitral valve repairs, and Maze procedures (since I see you have Afib).

Most experienced mitral valve surgeons repair more than 90% of patients' valves.   You want to repair whenever possible, so that's probably where you're headed. 

There are a number of approaches to access the heart with pros and cons associated with each,  i.e., sternotomy, mini-sternotomy, mini-thoracotomy, and full robotic.  Note: The procedure to fix the valve is the same regardless of the scar on the outside. 

There are tons of mitral valve heart warriors on this site, besides me, so feel free to ask all the questions you have!  In the meantime,  don't let your imagination run away with you.   You can do this! 

Richard Munson  What a great response from susan. The only 2 cents i might add is that doctors and hospitals tend to push what they are good at. So there is a little salesmanship involved. So if its robotic surgery you are after, don’t go to caveman medical, they probably don’t have one. 

Robert Miller  This is a good site to learn about OHS. https://www.heart-valve-surgery.com/learning-center.php If you have specific questions, ask. In my opinion, this is the best and most active forum for OHS. 

Ana Brusso  I totally agree with both Susan Lynn and Richard. You can find a lot of information on the menu. God bless you 🙏❤️

David Rasmusson  I went in for a mitral valve repair but, because of having had rheumatic fever as a child, it turned out upon closer examination that I needed a replacement. 
That was 17 months ago. It’s turned out great! I hope the same for you!

Deena Z  The best advice ever above. Great summary, Susan!  You will have more specific questions along your journey.  Just get a renowned surgeon.