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Yes, surgery easier with valve conduit combined than suturing conduit to old valve. Only decision was mechanical vs tissue. At age 57 with three open hearts the decision to go mechanical was easy. Also no TAVR at that time to complicate the decision process. 17 years later still doing OK.

Generally you will not spontaneously bleed while taking warfarin with an acceptable INR. However if you do bleed for some reason your bleed will be more exuberant due to your reduced ability to clot. So a micro hemorrhage might be converted to a larger one. So you may have had small nose or...

I don't know what the latest data is on the Resilia valve. What is the latest data on how many make 5 years, 10 years, 15 years etc.. How is this data influenced by patient type? ***, age etc.. So at 45 you could be facing a new valve from anywhere from 5-15 years and on a good day maybe...

I agree that one shouldn’t have something done or not done due to avoidance of open heart surgery. But as in my case the non open route probably was superior (at least so far). Just get the specifics and if need be maybe a second opinion at a top heart center if you are not impressed with the...

I had a somewhat similar story with three aortic surgeries and problems with gradually worsening mitral regurgitation. Finally the mitral issues caused rather sudden decompensation over just a one week period. I was scheduled for a forth open heart for the mitral with little enthusiasm from...

I too had a pacer placed after my third aortic valve plus aneurysm repair. My escape rhythm of my ventricles was zero. So without a pacer I would not be writing this. I am a bit surprised at the lack of urgency given your story of several episodes of passing out. You may have a decent escape...

Right now my understanding is that minimally invade procedures work with relatively untouched tissue. In your case with probably marked scarring that might make that approach very difficult.

Quite the story. But I am slightly confused about what type of valve you have currently. If it is a mechanical you should be on warfarin. Xarelto has been recognized as not working well with mechanical valves. Using a tissue valve would seem an odd choice since no one would want to do any...

There are arrhythmias and there are arrhythmias. Some are benign and some can be serious. For example A. fib generally is not lethal but may lead to strokes if not detected and treated with anticoagulation. It can be annoying if the rates are either too high or low. Ventricular tachycardias...

INR and pro time are essentially the same. With pro time there was a lot of variability from lab to lab. INR was introduced to limit the variability. So controls are used that in theory give more standardized results.

I have zero proof for this but I have attributed the thumping sound to the position of the heart relative to the sternum. It seems like the sternum is like a sound board in a piano. I suspect that after open heart procedures that fat, pericardium,and other tissues are removed or disturbed...

One of the reasons for retaining fluid may be heart failure. The body produces a protein when the heart is not working well. This is BNP. This is from the Mt. Sinai website. Brain natriuretic peptide test Information | Mount Sinai - New York. If the levels are high or go up they frequently...

Does Mayo Clinic accept Medicare? Yes, Mayo Clinic is a participating Medicare facility in Arizona, in Florida, in Rochester, Minn. and at all Mayo Clinic Health System locations. From the Mayo website. I think they are saying that they take Medicare at their three main campuses but not...

Sounds like medical care in your neck of the woods may be a bit sketchy. It may behoove you to get evaluated somewhere else. Check into the Mayo Clinic or something similar to get your problems properly sorted out.

I agree science based but not a true science where the scientific method fully applies. We are not working in a vacuum without any scientific base but we are making decisions based on statistics and experience. Physics, chemistry and even biology are more rigorous. Believe me not going the...

Medicine is not a science. Medicine uses statistical data to help in making informed decisions. There might be multitudes of reports on complications and death rates with cardiac surgical procedures. There is often a significant range from study to study. Patient populations are different...

Having a pacemaker for third degree heart block makes my heart rate totally independent of any meds I might take. I had the opportunity to take a beta blocker for elevated BP. I thought that it would not affect me much since my heart rate would not slow down because of it. I was wrong. I...

Your question is simply what is the best valve between the two valves you have mentioned. I don't think there is anyone on earth who has a definitive answer. One can look at the current track records or make predictions based on similar valves but still this is a lot of guess work. Ultimately...

bicuspid aortic with marked stenosis 29 tissue aortic failed 5 years 35 St. Jude mechanical 57 repeat mechanical with aorta repair 6.5 cm aneurysm 74 still bike riding At your age would consider mechanical valve. Unless you crave open heart surgery.

The usual criteria for surgery is the size of the aneurysm. What is yours? And why where you told that you should not have surgery?