43 years

[hensylee]

wow - we need you in the history books for VR. Congratulations and keep on tickin..... Blessins...........

 

[skeptic49]

Congratulations, Dick. You are an inspiration to us all.

Best wishes,

Jim

 

[Johan]

How wonderful, Dick to have had this life saving operation so long ago when VR was practically still experimental and to still have the same valve clicking away 43 years later! Here is to many, many more valversaries!

 

[kfay]

Dick, how awesome for you that you've been able to live this full life with that valve. I hope it lasts another 50 without any problems.

 

[Mileena46]

WOW! What a valvsariey!! You are an inspiration to us all!!! Congrats and keep ticking!!

Mileena

 

[scotttnz]

Congrats!

Hope mine lasts that long!

 

[buncle]

Congrats- you have inspired many of us. I am very happy for you!

 

[kpearse]

Wow, 43 years! Congrats

 

[twinmaker]

Happy Valversary, Dick! Wow!....43 years! Here's to 43 more and more and more! Linda

 

[Mentu]

Dick, I really appreciate your comments here in VR. Embarking on this adventure spawns a lot of anxiety so it is very helpful to hear your comments based on decades of experience. Best wishes and I hope your valve serves you well for many years to come.

Larry

 

[ARGreenMN]

Dick I had some crowns put on my front teeth when I was 18. They said they they should last 20 yrs. That was 32 yrs ago. Not that teeth are the same as a heart valve, but I predict you're gonna get at least 30 more years out of that thing!

PS - I wonder if you're approaching a world record? You should probably start thinking about getting in touch with the Guiness Book of world records soon!

 

[dick0236]

...... I wonder if you're approaching a world record? You should probably start thinking about getting in touch with the Guiness Book of world records soon!

Andy, I had an email conversation with Dr. Starr a couple of years ago and he told me that there were "quite a few valves, over 40 years old, still in use":thumbup:. Since I'm sure that a bunch of you newbies will have yours a looooonnnnggg time, I'm gonna wait 'till mine is 50 years old to apply for the world record......I'm gonna make it tuff for one of you to break my record:wink2::biggrin2:.

Thanks to all of you for the well wishes. I will continue to post each year so ya'll know what you have to shoot at:cool2:

 

[Luana]

PS - I wonder if you're approaching a world record? You should probably start thinking about getting in touch with the Guiness Book of world records soon!

Andy, our own RCB is "The first child, the fifth patient to survive valve replacement surgery and the world's longest surviving heart valve recipient." He's coming up to 50 years after his first surgery.

Dick, any idea if you have the record of having the longest time with the original valve? 43 years with the same valve is nothing to sneeze at! :thumbup:

 

[Kathy McCain]

Congrats Dick, you are truly AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dick0236]

Hard too say Luana:confused2:. I applied for an ID card from Edwards Lifesciences (the manufacturer of the valve) a couple years ago. Back when I had the valve implanted they apparently did not issue "serial numbers" and I had a little problem convincing Edwards Lifesciences that I had a valve that old. However, the ID card I received shows my serial number as "UNK-178":eek2:, so I assume that they know of 177 valves older than mine. How many of those valves are still in use I do not know. As I mentioned earlier, Dr. Starr(co-inventor of the valve) told me that "a number of the valves were still in use":thumbup:. Why this one has lasted is beyond me.....but I ain't complaining:tongue2::wink2::biggrin2:. One plus is that doctors don't tell me to do much anymore.....they just say "continue doing whatever you're doing:cool2:".

 

[RCB]

Hard too say Luana:confused2:. I applied for an ID card from Edwards Lifesciences (the manufacturer of the valve) a couple years ago. Back when I had the valve implanted they apparently did not issue "serial numbers" and I had a little problem convincing Edwards Lifesciences that I had a valve that old. However, the ID card I received shows my serial number as "UNK-178":eek2:, so I assume that they know of 177 valves older than mine. How many of those valves are still in use I do not know. As I mentioned earlier, Dr. Starr(co-inventor of the valve) told me that "a number of the valves were still in use":thumbup:. Why this one has lasted is beyond me.....but I ain't complaining:tongue2::wink2::biggrin2:. One plus is that doctors don't tell me to do much anymore.....they just say "continue doing whatever you're doing".

Congratulations, Dick!
You have reached a milestone that few have attained and few will. We are all very jealous (myself included) for your good fortune. You are truly the lucky one.

As to your record, there is no doubt that if you aren't the record holder, your certainly near first in the cue to claim the prize. In 1965, they began heat-curing the ball to make it last longer and all the other early designs had faults which cause them not to last. HVR were not even considered safe till the '70s which kept the number down. Back then, as is still true today, pts. under the age of 35 make-up a relatively smaller proportion of the valves that are replaced. Also, it is a fact that the case studies I have seen where a post-'65 Starr-Edwards was explanted (always due to causes other than valve failure) and replaced in favor of a more efffient valve, pathology all remarked about how almost "pristine" the explanted valve was. Finally, ACT testing was primitive compared to today and many of the early recipient died because drs. had little understand of the miracle drug warfarin or even the need for it. Given all those factors and the fact of life that people are aging out, it is very unlikely to be very many left in the "league" to play for the record. You are truly unique!

I think Dr. Starr comment reflected the fact that a model of that type was in common use before the Bjork-Shiley became the valve of choice in the '70s. Early implants pre-70s of any valve type were certainly rare by today's number. I have a possible lead on information on another early Starr-Edwards, that may still be alive but it is taking a long time to track it down. I'm pretty sure if you asked Dr. Starr specifically what are the chances of anyone having an implanted Starr-Edwards valve longer then you, his answer would be appreciably different because he is acutely aware of the historical reasons listed above.

In appreciation of Dr. Starr's pioneering efforts, the anniversary of which will occur next month, I am collecting a list of heart valver who wish to congratulate him on his accomplishment. If you or other wish to be included in the card, you may PM me here with a short message to Dr. Starr and I will copy and paste it to the list that I am compiling from other heart related websites. No matter what kind of valve you have, we all owe a lot to Dr. Starr.:thumbup:

I hope that those who find my rare post objectionable, will forgive my tribute to Dick and his accomplishment.:angel:

 

[dick0236]

Thanks RCB for your post.....I always learn something from your posts and I applaud you for keeping up with the history of VR. I wil send you a PM to be included on the card to Dr. Starr. As I think about this, his pioneering effort has doubled my living years. They told me that without surgery I would not reach age 40......and here I am.....in my mid 70s.

 

[SumoRunner]

Hey, do we have a VR Hall of Fame? These two would have to be the founding members.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Hey, do we have a VR Hall of Fame? These two would have to be the founding members.

Absolutely...:thumbup:

 

[Dennis S]

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing an amazing story, with the end no where in sight.