Any pilots here?

[davidpa28140]

Actually I know there are , I?ve been lurking about for awhile now. This is without a doubt the best site I?ve seen on the net in regards to heart valve issues, can?t say enough good things about the informed kindness I?ve seen here so far.

Now briefly on to my story and question. I was born with a BAV that I knew would someday need to be replaced, that someday came a few weeks ago when the FAA(federal aviation administration) AME (aviation medical examiner) denied my 1st class or any class medical certificate due to the limited opening of my aortic valve of .9cm. The FAA minimum is 1cm. If any of you have earned a living as a pilot you understand there is a direct relationship between having a medical certificate and food in the refrigerator. So, although I haven?t had any symptoms I need to proceed with this right away, and to be honest after reading many post here I get the idea that sooner is better than later to reduce the risk of further damage. So that?s the story and here?s the question; I am very interested in the ON-X valve but would love to hear from a pilot that has been recertified with one. My gut feeling is that the FAA won?t give a second thought to a Saint Judes but maybe a little more skeptical of the ON_X even though it has been around 10+ years. (hey it?s government) I didn?t get much satisfaction from the aopa site but they do have a nice outline for applying to the FAA for recertification after the AVR. I am scheduled for a TEE in the morning so hopefully I can move ahead and put this behind me shortly.

Thanks for your time,
Dave

 

[Susan BAV]

Welcome to the site, David. I did a quick search for any fairly recent threads with the word "pilot" in them and found these threads which you may find interesting:

http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?p=310286&highlight=pilot#post310286

http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?p=301585&highlight=pilot#post301585

http://valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20925&highlight=pilot

 

[Arlyss]

This article may be interesting to you. The surgeon was Dr. Joe Bavaria at U Penn in Philadelphia. Dr. Bavaria is very aware of the need to check for and deal with aortic aneurysm as well as BAV.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/12/eveningnews/main1890202.shtml

Best wishes,
Arlyss

 

[Susan BAV]

Another thought, David. I was just reading your post to my husband, who has his private pilot's license, and he showed me an article on medical issues among pilots in the new AOPA Pilot magazine he was just reading, the September 2008 issue which we just got in the mail today, page 4, and the article is titled, "The Airman Medical," written by AOPA President, Phil Boyer.

Here's a brief excerpt from the article: "Yet there are a whole range of medical issues -- from insulin-dependent diabetes to a heart transplant -- where it is possible to still fly with the FAA's blessing, if you go about it in the right way."

Hope you will find the article helpful.

 

[skeptic49]

Just wanted to say welcome to VR, Dave, and wish you the best of luck moving forward with your AV replacement and your career.

Jim

 

[Leeroy996]

Hi Dave, I can't answer your questions but I do know the patient that had surgery before me was an acrobatic pilot. My surgeon was Paul Stelzer at Mt Sinai. I'm sure Paul can help you. You can get his e-mail off the Mt Sinai page.

 

[hensylee]

I believe we had a pilot who had valve replacement - some years ago. Anyone remember?

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to VR. Glad you found us. Couldn't you inquire directly with the FAA to ask if there are any restrictions on your choice of valve? Given the ON-X has been cleared by the government medical authorities for medical use broadly (i.e. not a "last resort" solution), I'm not sure why the FAA would be skeptical of it. Hopefully you can get the valve you want. Best wishes and good luck.

 

[Karlynn]

Can I suggest contacting the company that makes the On-X. I would think it would be something that they know, or would want to know. Send Alcapshaw2 a Private Message. He has contact info for On-X. Or do a search under Al's posts. He has posted the contact info many times.

Best wishes!

 

[Mary]

I believe we had a pilot who had valve replacement - some years ago. Anyone remember?

Buzz Lanning from Colorado.

 

[Ross]

Welcome to VR. Glad you found us. Couldn't you inquire directly with the FAA to ask if there are any restrictions on your choice of valve? Given the ON-X has been cleared by the government medical authorities for medical use broadly (i.e. not a "last resort" solution), I'm not sure why the FAA would be skeptical of it. Hopefully you can get the valve you want. Best wishes and good luck.

He could, but I know why he isn't. He doesn't want to voluntarily become their target and that's what an inquiry to them would do.

David, Buzz Lanning would be the best person to talk to for your 1st class situation. Here is a link to his profile:

http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/member.php?u=875

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...iv8&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.1.5.5.1.1&idno=14

 

[davidpa28140]

Susan, thank you for the links, I myself just got that copy of Sept. AOPA I will take a look at it tomorrow while waiting for the Surgeon.

Arlyss , Thanks for the reply I had read about that once before. Seems I should be a shoe in!

Wayne thanks for your reply, I most likely will email or phone the FAA about my choice. In my 18 years of flying I have found that one is best to ?let sleeping dogs lie? when it comes to the FAA, but really, things are already out in the open now so I may just give them a call. They seem to be a bit more relaxed than in the past. I agree that the ON-X being FDA approved should be enough.

Karlynn, I emailed them the question 2 days ago. I intend to call this week.

Ross, spoken like a man of experience! I never really minded these guys checking out the airplanes I was flying (airline or freight) but my medical is completely another story. It appears to me like they have no incentive to return ones medical(in fact I assume it brings them possible liability) So I anticipate lots of phone calls and lots of paper work but this to shall come and go.

Thank you all for your replies and ideas. The TEE wasn?t bad at all today, the worst part was putting in the IV needle, which I am always a sissy about. Tomorrow I met with a surgeon.

Thanks again
David

 

[Ross]

David I had a hell of a time with them and my 3rd class medical cert. Back in the day, there was no special issuance of anything. They had me going for flight physicals every 3 months for 2 years before they were satisfied that annually was enough.

The worst part about heart problems is total lack of understanding from their point of view. Naturally they don't want aircraft falling from the sky because of sick pilots, so rather then let the pilot determine if he's airworthy, they enforce their views instead. I'd love to go back to flying, but the truth of the matter is, it's not safe for me to be flying. Oh yeah, not because of my heart, but because of a lung disease.

 

[SHEEPDOG]

Welcome

Welcome

Dave, just another welcome to VR.COM. Can't help with the FAA question but I do agree with getting it done sooner than later. I am a COP with a new ON-X valve. I too was one of those SOMEDAY patients. SOMEDAY came on July 9, some 30 years after I heard SOMEDAY. An echo showed 1.2cm for the Aortic Valve opening. A cath brought that down to .8 or .9cm. I wasn't REALLY symptomatic but it was on the way. Now I will be back to work the day before 8 week anniversary. Hope the FAA acts differently than the rest of the government and makes a decision quickly. Good Luck!

 

[Andrew'sMom]

Hi David,
I visit this forum because of my 7-year-old son's health issues, but I can relate to your post. My husband is a career pilot. My son's geneticist reccommended our whole family be screened for aortic valve & ascending aorta issues due to Andrew's defects (another son also has a BAV, but has no trouble with it at this time). My husband refuses to have the echo -- as he is worried about losing his 1st class medical, and thus his job. I ask him if he'd rather drop dead almost instantly than start over in a new career, but he's stubborn. I'll watch your posts to see how the FAA handles your valve replacement. Do you have any aneurysm issues along with your BAV?

 

[Ross]

Hi David,
I visit this forum because of my 7-year-old son's health issues, but I can relate to your post. My husband is a career pilot. My son's geneticist reccommended our whole family be screened for aortic valve & ascending aorta issues due to Andrew's defects (another son also has a BAV, but has no trouble with it at this time). My husband refuses to have the echo -- as he is worried about losing his 1st class medical, and thus his job. I ask him if he'd rather drop dead almost instantly than start over in a new career, but he's stubborn. I'll watch your posts to see how the FAA handles your valve replacement. Do you have any aneurysm issues along with your BAV?

He really can't afford to be stubborn about this. I know exactly why he is, but if he dies because of this, his job isn't going to matter anyhow. I'm sure he could pull off an echo without the FAA's knowledge.