The Ross Procedure and Children: What Should Parents Know?

Congenital aortic valve disease is one of the most common pediatric valve disorders, typically due to a structural abnormality in the heart. Once symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and failure to grow at the same rate as other children become apparent, a surgical or transcatheter intervention is often required. It’s a stressful and confusing time for parents who are faced with critical decisions about their child’s health and future.

We received a great question on this topic from Ella, a parent in our community who needs guidance for her daughter. Ella asked, “My nine-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with severe aortic valve regurgitation. Is the Ross Procedure a good treatment for her?”

To answer Ella’s question, we met with Dr. Vaughn Starnes at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Conference in Los Angeles, where he had just concluded teaching a Ross Procedure course for other physicians. Dr. Starnes is the Surgeon-in-Chief of Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Starnes is a world-renowned Ross Procedure expert having performed over 650 Ross Procedures during the past 30 years.

The Ross Procedure for Children

Here are the key insights shared by Dr. Starnes:

• The Ross Procedure restores a child’s quality of life. In response to Ella’s question, Dr. Starnes said the Ross operation is a good treatment choice for her daughter. “We’ve been using the Ross Procedure, particularly in children, since the early 1990s because it really returns the quality of life to the child. They don’t have to worry about playgrounds because they’re not on blood thinners.”

Dr. Vaughn Starnes

• The Ross Procedure may provide children with a long-term solution in which the valve grows with the child. “It’s the only operation we do in a child that the valve can grow with the child. It gives the opportunity for the child to have one operation,” said Dr. Starnes. “When it comes to children, if you put in a rigid valve like a mechanical or pig valve, it won’t grow with them. Pig valve replacements will last three to five years in a child. Mechanical valve replacements will last longer, but they must be replaced because they become too small as the child grows.”

Thanks Dr. Starnes and Keck Medicine of USC!

On behalf of Ella and all the patients and parents in our community, thank you to Dr. Vaughn Starnes for everything you and your team are doing at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, California!

Related links:

• Dr. Starnes Performs Successful Ross Procedure on 8-Year Old Boy
• Check out the new Ross Procedure Patient Education Center
• Vaughn Starnes, MD Named the 100^th President of AATS

Keep on tickin,
Adam

P.S. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing members of our patient community, we have provided a written transcript of our interview with Dr. Starnes below.