Age of Mechanical Valves

[dick0236]

.........19mm. Know they gave me the largest they could with the hope it would last a long time.

That is amazing. I got, and still have, the 23mm they gave me at 31. Like Superman says, I bet you were a handful for your parents in dealing with warfarin and the bumps and scrapes of childhood.

 

[EMJEF]

I had an amazing surgeon. My mother was on her own at the age of 23 dealing with my health issues along with my grandmother’s support after my grandfather died only a few weeks after I was discharged. Not an easy time but we got there.

 

[pellicle]

Not an easy time but we got there.

hats off to her and you both.

 

[kevanndo]

My daughter got a 25mm On-X mitral valve when she was 9 years old and 65 pounds. This was her third OHS. We were thrilled that her surgeon could put an adult-sized valve in her small body and are hopeful it might last a lifetime. She'd already had surgery for a complete AV canal defect when she was three weeks old and a second surgery to repair a severely leaking mitral valve when she was six. She's had her On-X valve for almost seven years now, and it has been performing beautifully.

 

[EMJEF]

I still have my original mechanical (ball-in-cage) aortic valve that was implanted in 1967, when I was 31. In a couple of months, I will be 85 years old........and the valve, at 53+ years old, continues to work although, at my age, other things are breaking down. The Starr-Edwards "ball-in-cage" valve was the first commercially available valve in 1961and was produced by Edwards Lifesciences, with little change until 2007 when it was discontinued. Since my valve was one of the first implanted valves, I doubt there are any older than mine still clickin'..........but you never know. I sure didn't figure mine would last this long.........neither did any of my doctors.

This is just amazing to hear. What a brilliantly, positive experience to read about.