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The Low-INR claim of the On-X is just marketing. There is no strong statistical evidence to support this. The numbers involved in the trial that supported this recommendation were small. However the good news is that a large recent randomised control trial found that St Jude and On-X valves...

Thanks for posting this. These numbers are impressive. I think that the issue is that the average age of the trial participant is 65. And we know that tissue valves wear out faster in younger people...

Hi, the only advice I can give you is please dont repeat my mistakes. I was 33 at first OHS and got a tissue valve made from equine material. The surgeon said that this material calicifies less and that he set it up for future valve in valve. Then in early 2022, now being 42, the valve failed...

First of, I am very sorry to hear this. Yes it is possible. I once saw a paper where 20% of aortic valve replacement patients needed work on their mitral valve later. But that was a paper on Ross patients and we dont know if they are the same or different from regular AVR patients. But I think...

Hello, You have Aortic regurgitation. At the moment, TAVR is only approved for Aortic Stenosis in the US, since you need some calcium in your old valve to anchor the new one. Now, there is a new TAVR that can also be used for regurgitation already used in Europe since 2021. It is called the...

The best piece of advice I can give you is the following: ==> In addition to researching your conditions, it makes a lot of sense to also research the best possible medical team that you can find. Then listen to what they have to say. Your case with continuing to work out etc may require the...

From my own personal experience: - You are in the wait and watch camp - Just monitor every year to see what happens - There is some annecdotal evidence that too much exercise all at once wears bioprosthetic valves out - happened to me. I am not sure if this translates to your own natural heart...

These meters should clearly be a little bit more regulated. In many European countries, including the UK, you can only use a government approved one (I think in the UK you can only get Coagucheck). There is also a requirement to have your home meter tested against the hospitals twice a year. At...

Thanks a lot for the Shout out and very glad to hear your recovery went well. I wouldnt worry too much about your heart rhtym for now. I left the hospital with PVCs after my first surgery. I also had the holter test like you. In the end, my PVCs went away over time completely. Your heart can...

We are always discussing the whether a valve like the Foldax one will be last forever. But there are other complications that can occur. I.e. some tissue valves may still throw clots once in a while on account of their design. We also dont know if other complications can occur from the...

To be honest, I think it is time to switch Cardiologists. Everytime I have an inkling of an arhytmia, my cardiologist insists on a 24 hour holder. Last time I thought there was a problem, he read my ECG on the plane back from a conference. If I was you, I would switch Cardiologists to somebody...

Hi KyleR, Last year I was in exactly the same shoes as you. In 2014, at age 33 I got a tissue valve, made from equine tissue, which the surgeon assured me is less likely to calcify. He was actually right. This stentless valve didnt calcify, so I couldnt have a TAVI. instead one of the leaflets...

33. Failed after 8 years. Usually bio-valves are meant to fail gradually over a year or two. In my case, I had a stentless valve made from equine material. To the credit of the material, there was no calcification on my valve. But one of the valve leaflets tore off. This caused immediate...

Hello, I only had my mechanical valve going for a year now. My surgeon said you can continue most activities on warfarin so long you are sensible. His colleague (I interviewed several at same hospital) even said Rock climbing is fair game so long you take all the precautions and are sensible...

I wish you best of luck with your surgery. I am in your age group so know how shocking this can be. Please let us know once you are on the other side. All the best and I will keep my fingers crossed.

Hi John, I am very sorry to hear about your stroke and I hope that you recovered as much as possible. Are you on warfarin due to your stroke? Have you been told that your valve needs replacing? If there is any indication that aortic valve needs replacing, then if you are already on warfarin...

@pellicle I would like to pre-order my copy please. This is a fantastic public service that you are providing.

I had my first surgery at your age. It took me 6 months to fully recover. I would definetly do as much cardiac rehab as you can. If you are in the UK, a private Cardiac Rehab company called CP+R can give you a 6 week free trial. Def worth doing. Finally, I recommend getting a good smartwatch...

Hello, I had two OHS now. The good news is that according to the statistics the mortality risk of surgery is low. If you look at EuroScore Website - calculator That website gives the risk of surgery based on your characteristics, the risk is between 0.5-1.5% depending on whether you count...

The stats on 20-30% replacement came from my surgeon, who did my second surgery, and 60% of his cases are redo's (He apparently redid someone's aortic valve for the 6th time successfully at one point). He said that sometimes the calcification gets in the way of cutting out the bio valve. On the...