Did anyone see this in 2010? Oldest heart valve survivor dies.

[markp66]

Another great story from when a patient in 1965 underwent heart vale surgery with a star-edwards valve. This lasted 45 years and the guy live until his mid 80s. I'm not sure if it was the valve that got him in the end.. I'm guessing not! There seem to be so many people who have had this valve for 45 years and over which is amazing considering the lack of knowledge of heart surgery, anticoagulation and monitoring etc etc etc. Back then this surgery made headlines and it was likely you would get yourself in the local news at least if you had this kind of surgery. How things have changed!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg...rt-valve-recipient-leon-co-resident-dies_news

 

[lucky401]

My father had his aortic valve replaced in 1963 in Philadelphia, PA. I was 13 years old and remember that whole time very well. It was a huge surgery and almost never heard of back then. My parent's friend researched the procedure for my Dad and they debated going to Texas to have Debakey perform the operation. In the end he had the surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. My Dad had to have his Star Edwards valve replaced 3 years later because the teflon ball hitting the metal cage starting breaking up and caused him to have mini strokes. They put a metal ball in the metal cage and you could hear my Dad clicking all the time. He died in 1977 while at work and we are not sure why because my mother would not have an autopsy performed. Forty-five years after my Dad's surgery I had my surgery to replace my aortic valve, etc. I feel very strongly that my Dad was a pioneer and I can't thank my Dad enough for paving the way for me and all of the rest of us!

 

[nngbwh]

Amazing !!

 

[SB42]

God bless!

 

[dick0236]

Another great story from when a patient in 1965 underwent heart vale surgery with a star-edwards valve. This lasted 45 years and the guy live until his mid 80s. I'm not sure if it was the valve that got him in the end.. I'm guessing not! There seem to be so many people who have had this valve for 45 years and over which is amazing considering the lack of knowledge of heart surgery, anticoagulation and monitoring etc etc etc. Back then this surgery made headlines and it was likely you would get yourself in the local news at least if you had this kind of surgery. How things have changed!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xg...rt-valve-recipient-leon-co-resident-dies_news

Thanks for posting this markp66. It is reassuring that so many have lived long, active lives after this surgery. We have a member, RCB, who had this surgery in 1960/61. I think that was before the heart/lung machine. He seldome posts anymore, but does periodically visit the site. There are several on the site that go back many years and I suspect that there are many older surgery survivors that don't use computers.

Here is a little more history for you. I had known of my heart "murmur" since my pre-teen years, but little could be done for it. OHS hit the news around 1960 and I asked a doc about it in '61/'62. His response was that it was too new and the risk outweighed any reward. The science moved very quickly and by 1967 the reward far outweighed my risk. After about fourteen days in the hospital (normal stay in those days), I went home and resumed an active life. I guess it was no longer a newsworthy event by the time I had surgery...'cause I never got my name in the newspaper LOL.

My first, and only, valve will also be 45 in about 6 months....and "if the good Lord is willin', and the crick don't rise" I hope to get a few more years out of it. Now, if you will excuse me, the temperature is up and I'm gonna play some golf.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Ahh class
So pleased to see how long the valves can last,
Rest in peace,
Love Sarah xxx

 

[Greg a]

A true pioneer ......thanks for posting .............RIP

 

[bradvo]

Reassuring for sure, from what I have read in the little time I have been here I feel confident I can live a long active life.
Thanks to all of those who paved the way.

Brad

 

[markp66]

Yes,I've spoken to RCB on a few occasions, very inspirational and lets hope it makes 60 or even 70 years living with mechanical valves.

Dick, it's amazing that the first valves have lasted so long especially as they are not even made of Pyrolytic carbon, who knows how long they will last but let's hope longer than 50!

It must have been an odd feeling to undergo surgery that was almost completely revolutionary, scary as hell I imagine! At least we know more about the procedure, outcomes and how to maximise the effectiveness after surgery, especially with anticoagulation and reducing infections etc. Considering there weren't many ops at the time (unlike the 200,00+ per year these days) it's amazing to see so many people from 1965-68 with the same valves in.

Dick, enjoy the golf! It's freezing in the uk!

 

[dick0236]

It must have been an odd feeling to undergo surgery that was almost completely revolutionary, scary as hell I imagine! At least we know more about the procedure, outcomes and how to maximise the effectiveness after surgery, especially with anticoagulation and reducing infections etc. Considering there weren't many ops at the time (unlike the 200,00+ per year these days) it's amazing to see so many people from 1965-68 with the same valves in.
!

There is an old saying.."ignorance is bliss"......and given the alternatives of "certain death within ten years, and a 25% risk of sudden death", it was not difficult to make the decision to have the surgery. I was not made aware of the need for anticoagulation until after the surgery and the only infection I was warned against was "strepp throat".....my, how things have changed with the advent of the internet. The WWW makes information immediately available, but you still need to separate the "chaff from the wheat". After doing a number of OHS searches I sometimes think it can be a lot scarier now because of all the information and misinformation available. This site has been an invaluable resource for me and has given me a lot of reassurance, even after all my years with a valve.

 

[markp66]

I must admit, although it's great to know so much info on caring for yourself such as better management of INR, dental hygiene etc I agree with Dick, sometimes not knowing outcomes can be better than reading all the rubbish online. Luckily this site has real people to go on rather than articles where we know nothing about the patients etc.