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Hello Andrea, At a cost of $2 million per robotic machine, it's hard for the hospital to recoup their investment. And surgeons have to learn to do something a new way. This is why it's difficult to apply the technology. But if you just have a bad mitral valve and no other problems, it's...

I agree with Tom as far as choosing a hospital. My initial choice was at my "home" hospital. When I changed my mind as to the surgeon, it went with a change to a hospital down the block which was ok since it was probably better for cardiac anyway. There are also new cardiac programs that are...

Hello Andrea, The thing I found is that surgeons are comfortable with what they do well. There's nothing wrong with that. I also noticed surgeons and cardiologists talk unfavorably about procedures they do not do. I don't have an answer. They really haven't been doing robotics consistently...

Hello Lyons, I was a bit older at about 44 when my MVP was a concern. I ,too, had a bit of a murmur probably going back to your age. It happens and my cardiologist didn't have any good reason. He did say that valves can get bad. Too much weight doesn't help which isn't your case it appears...

Hello Andrea, Basically a right thoracotomy involves a 2 to 3 inch incision around the right breast. My robotic approach involved 4 to 5 quarter inch incisions around the right breast as well. About 3-4 of these incisions were needed to account for the robotic apparatus and nothing more. My...

Hello Andrea, I had robotic surgery almost 4 years ago. I was 47 years old, with severe regurg but asymptomatic. A TEE and heart cath confirmed that I had no other heart issues like clogged valves etc. I was therefore deemed a good candidate. It was a repair of the posterior leaflet to be...

Glad you're felling better scg. The repair part of my surgery was less than an hour iirc. The setting up part and all prep made the entire procedure 3-4 hours. I would be inclined to ask the surgeon how he thought it went. There's alot of different things going on and he most likely has a...

Both surgeons I spoke with said that there was little need for a sternotomy in my case. Both claimed they would have a high probabilty of repair with minimal invasive. Both said that it's always better to avoid cracking the sternum if it wasn't necessary.

I don't remember swallowing discomfort and not much groin pain. What kind of muscle twitches? Maybe too much exercise? How's the spirometer going?

Hello scg, I recall having a chill and a mini-anxiety episode on the second day I think it was. My vitals were good and the nurse came over just to check me out. It was nothing.

Great news on the repair! 9 hours? Yikes! Doing good. If you do anymore walking, you're going to miss meal times. Lol.

Good luck with everything. Let us know how it goes.

scg Something else I thought about. Don't be alarmed when you get home at you've gained 10 lbs. It'll come off in about 3-5 days on its own. My surgeon also said to make sure I eat a nice big steak. I think he was trying to calm my nerves. I did eat more red meat the few days leading up but...

I get the same way with every echo and stress test. No change is a good thing. Glad it turned out well.

It was explained to me that this is why going as minimal as possible is important, when appropriate of course. You don't have months of sternum recovery. I was told that maybe 15-20 years ago, they would do nothing for our case until further problems came along at would then warrant a...

I wouldn't get too caught up with P1-P3. The surgeon told my wife specifically that posterior is more common. It take that to mean anterior is less common but I don't know the ramifications of that. Since I was asymptomatic, I continued to do all my activities before surgery. What's important...

I think you're making a good choice scg. Both surgeons I consulted with said there is usually no reason to go with the sternotomy as long as it's only a basic mitral valve issue. The heart cath and CT angio showed clear arteries for me so I was good to go. I think the first question out of my...

I was told that self donations aren't really done anymore. I think it was a liability issue. I, too, was told that blood is rarely needed.

That was the toughest decision re: valve. While I ski, cycle and kayak, I was told I should be fine doing my activities (with a mechanical ) as long as I wear a helmet, which I do for both, and not be wreckless. I guess the main difference is competing vs. just riding with my wife. If I...

I picked a month that would work well with work and when the weather was good. Although it was unseasonable hot mid 90's in June in Atlanta, we were not accepting my family to visit for fear of catching something.