how to make a new heart?

[Chuck C]

the normal rate for men is up to 94
difference at the level of measurement error of average indicators

And I actually believe that the figure from that small study, of 109g/m2, seems low. I would not be surprised if other studies find that those with severe AS have higher LV mass on average than that.

A few months ago a new member poste that his wall thickness was about 13mm and 17mm. The 17 figure is getting up there. You definitely do not want it to get that high, in my view, due to the risk that you will still have residual LVH after remodeling from AV surgery.

The study below found that 44% of patients had residual LVH after valve surgery, after a mean follow up time of 6 years. These were patients with aortic stenosis. The fact that 44% still had it after remodeling would suggest to me that the figure of 47% from the previous study linked was low. I think that most with severe AS have some degree of LVH.

"Residual LVH was present in 44% of patients after AVR"

Conclusions: "Residual LVH after AVR is common and is associated with worse prognosis, particularly in women."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26188338/

Some degree of remodeling does occur generally. Mine did remodel to completely normal wall thickness and mass, as I noted previously. Soon after I was diagnosed with LVH, I had a consult with a cardiologist at Scripps and I did bring up my concerns about LVH. He said that mine was still in the range in which I was likely to get complete remodeling, before fibrosis occurs. He pulled up some images with several stages of LVH. I think that there were 5 or 6. I can't recall if I was at the first or second stage, but he indicated that I was still a couple of stages away from the point at which fibrosis was likely to occur. As I understood it, once fibrosis occurs, the LV will not completely remodel and there will be residual LVH typically.

Additionally, the finding in that study that 44% of AS patients still had residual LVH 6 years after valve surgery suggests that many are not getting surgery done in time to prevent permanent damage to the left ventricle.

 

[SatoriFound]

Guys, thank you all for your answers! Do any of you smoke cigarettes or did you smoke before the surgery? How are things going with that? Will it be possible to smoke after they allow you to walk?

It is highly recommended you do NOT smoke. Nicotine effects the bodies ability to heal. That is any form of nicotine, be it cigarettes, vaping, patches, gum, etc. That said, it is your choice. Just know that if you choose to use nicotine while in recovery you may have complications. Then again, you could get lucky and be fine.

 

[SatoriFound]

I have several herniated discs in my thoracic spine and I don't know how a full sternotomy will affect this.

My husband has pectus excavatum and had a prior open heart surgery as a child where they cracked open his chest cut all the intercostal bundles and stuck a metal bar in his chest to try to re-form his chest. Not the same thing you have, but they won't touch your spine in this surgery. He had his valve replacement and aortic aneurysm repair in October. He is back in the gym, slowly starting to lift weights again and doing amazing! He's a bit older than you, at 51, but chose to go with a mechanical valve due the risk of re-operation, most likely more than one, if he went with a tissue valve. He has a St. Jude's. Once in awhile he can hear it a tiny bit, it doesn't bother him at all. Our son, who is autistic and has always been noise averse, can hear his heart ticking from about 10 feet away, even when neither of us can hear it! I guess there is a reason he is sensitive to sounds, he has super hearing. LOL He does have a a long scar on his chest, but it is pretty thin, and not bad at all. My oldest son's scar from his stomach being cut open for emergency surgery is far worse. My husband also had a bicuspid valve, but he didn't even know about it until less than 2 years before he had surgery. He always had a heart murmur but the doctors thought it was due to his sunken chest. Extreme fatigue is what drew him to the doctor leading to the discovery of aortic stenosis and the later discovery of the aneurysm. Now, 3 months post surgery he is realizing just how tired he had been. The increase in his energy level has been very noticeable to him. He is very glad he had the surgery and feels so much better than he did prior.