Life Expectancy After VR

[tobagotwo]

From the AHA Guidelines Site and JAMA...

Once you have symptoms, if you don't have the valve replaced, you may dramatically shorten your life. About 75% to 80% of people who have symptoms of severe aortic valve stenosis die within 3 to 5 years if they do not have valve replacement surgery. In contrast, most people who have valve replacement have a normal life expectancy1

1 Bonow RO, et al. (1998). ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee on Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease). Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 32(5): 1486?1588.

Best wishes,

 

[Philip B]

Life Expectancy

Life Expectancy

Normal life expectancy...of course...we've had our original defective parts replaced with new parts that work better than the originals.

-Philip

 

[debster913]

Thanks for posting!

I'm on the other team with a repair, but my cardio says I have a better life expectancy with this repair than if I'd opted not to have surgery (duh!). I don't worry much about it, though. I'll probably die of cancer before I die from my (repaired) valve disease.

Or...my cardio might run me over with his car. He almost hit me one day when I was leaving his office and he was peeling out of the parking lot to get to an emergency.

 

[olefin]

Normal life expectancy...of course...we've had our original defective parts replaced with new parts that work better than the originals.

-Philip

I wouldn't say it was better than my original, for it didn't require warfarin.

 

[susiesknight]

I am so thankful for my surgery. I was asymptomatic so I went thru a lot of denial, then several definitive tests, and then acceptance. I was healthy going into OHS for AVR (BAV) and as it turned out my aorta needed repair also due to extremely thin tissue. Had the freestyle aorta repair that turned out to be a specialty of my UAB surgeon plus the bio valve. Now I am 1 month out, still healing, but extremely grateful to know my heart is even better than it was for the previous 58 years. God's unfailing love is my assurance for complete recovery. Yes, when I have pain and cannot do whatever I used to do right now, I ask for patience because there will be a day when it"ll all be good.


Medtronic 21 mm Freestyle aortic valve and aortic root repair 3/11/09
Dr. David McGiffin, my awesome Aussie doc
UAB

Bitte ein bitte

 

[Philip B]

Warfarin

Warfarin

Opinions will certainly vary, but my new valve does work better than my original. Warfarin is no big deal when compared with the risks of developing congestive heart failure due to a bad valve or bleeding out due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

Yeah, it would've been nice to have avoid valve replacement and warfarin by not being born with a defective valve in the first place, but without the defective valve I wouldn't have had the opportunity to hang out with the characters who participate in this forum...and hanging out with the likes of you folks isn't a bad thing.

-Philip

 

[debster913]

Yeah, it would've been nice to have avoid valve replacement and warfarin by not being born with a defective valve in the first place, but without the defective valve I wouldn't have had the opportunity to hang out with the characters who participate in this forum...and hanging out with the likes of you folks isn't a bad thing.

-Philip

Likewise!

Ross is my hero.

 

[Rich]

I don't know how long it will last, but I do know I wouldn't be here typing this without it.
When my cardio diagnosed my bad valve, he said a valve like mine was a big cause of sudden death.
So I'm thankful for almost thirteen years added to my life.
My surgeon said I would most likely die of something else before the valve failed.
So all I can say is live every day like it's your last.
Rich

 

[Jkm7]

I've had this thing about wishing to know about how long someone with a severely regurgitating mitral valve would survive without having surgery. My cardio answered by saying 'quality of life would soon have been poor.' I don't know if that means death in six months, two years? How long approximately? Haven't been able to get an answser. I suppose like so much else with heart disease.....the mantra 'everyone is different.'

 

[patchycat]

I was told at age 10 I would not live past 50. It was 1962 and they would watch the early valvers die. The surgeons like Christian Barnard did there best and now I'm 56 ish with a 7 year old Saint Jude baked carbon mitral valve banging away. I was getting close to death 7 yrs ago and for me there was no other option.
Thank you to all valvers everywhere past and present. patchycat

 

[Jkm7]

We know how hard it is for us to face this surgery, it boggles my mind to think of the early valvers who had the courage to lead the way for the rest of us. Their bravery made our surgeries routine for the surgeons, nurses and staff. And I know a few of those brave folks are here amongst us.

A big thank you!

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Actually, my original valve was much better...it was my post rheumatic fever valve that was crappy! Now my bionic valve is great, but I think the original still would be better! Any my chest would be prettier without all the scars!

 

[ALCapshaw2]

I am so thankful for my surgery. I was asymptomatic so I went thru a lot of denial, then several definitive tests, and then acceptance. I was healthy going into OHS for AVR (BAV) and as it turned out my aorta needed repair also due to extremely thin tissue. Had the freestyle aorta repair that turned out to be a specialty of my UAB surgeon plus the bio valve. Now I am 1 month out, still healing, but extremely grateful to know my heart is even better than it was for the previous 58 years. God's unfailing love is my assurance for complete recovery. Yes, when I have pain and cannot do whatever I used to do right now, I ask for patience because there will be a day when it"ll all be good.


Medtronic 21 mm Freestyle aortic valve and aortic root repair 3/11/09
Dr. David McGiffin, my awesome Aussie doc
UAB

Bitte ein bitte

As a UAB OHS "graduate", I'm curious what led you to UAB and Dr. McGiffin?

I'm also curious as to How and When your "thin (aorta) tissue" was discovered.
Was it detected before surgery?
If so, by whom (Cardio? Surgeon?)
By what Test?
What led the ordering Doctor to order that test?

FYI, I do not have BAV but have become interested in this subject after reading some compelling stories here on VR.com, in particular from former member "Oaktree" who had to have a second surgery to save her from her first.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[corrineinwa]

Can I ask a dumb question..... My husband has just had a bovine valve fitted (aortic).

Is there any difference in life expectancy between a mechanical valve vs. the bovine one?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Can I ask a dumb question..... My husband has just had a bovine valve fitted (aortic).

Is there any difference in life expectancy between a mechanical valve vs. the bovine one?

AH, you need to take the course called Heart Valves 101.
Please start with the "Stickies" at the Top of the List of Threads in the Valve Replacement Forum.

Basically, Mechanical Valves are designed to 'last forever', or at least longer than any mortal can expect to live. They 'may' need to be replaced if Pannus Tissue Growth impinges into the valve pivots or opening.

There is a Wide Range in Longevity for Tissue Valves. The Bovine Pericardial Tissue Valves are showing 90% "freedom of explant" at 20 years in patients who received them in their 60's. New anti-calcification coatings are hoped to extend that by a few years.

Note that Tissue Valves wear out Faster in Younger patients and Porcine Valves tend to wear out faster than Bovine Pericardial Tissue Valves. Untreated Porcine valves "straight from the Pig" have been known to last only 8 to 12 years and sometimes even less in younger patients. There are several "new and improved" types of Porcine Valves which are hoped to last longer. They haven't been out long enough to know their durability yet.

That's the Basics. There's a Lot More to learn about Valve options and performance.

 

[Eva]

Can I ask a dumb question..... My husband has just had a bovine valve fitted (aortic).

Is there any difference in life expectancy between a mechanical valve vs. the bovine one?

Corrine, if you do not have the time to read other threads, I briefly say that bovine valves expectancy is longer for people over 60 years of age.

 

[corrineinwa]

Corrine, if you do not have the time to read other threads, I briefly say that bovine valves expectancy is longer for people over 60 years of age.

Thank you for the one-liner explanation Eva.

Peter will be 73 this year. We pretty much let the surgeon do what he thought the best and he said he'd prefer to use the bovine valve over a mechanical one because of the need for blood thinners with the latter. Turns out that DH requires Coumadin anyway because of A.Fib but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.

And AL, thank you for pointing me to the "stickies". We didn't have much warning about DH's surgery (5 days ago) and it seems I'm having to do things a$$ backwards.

 

[Jkm7]

Corrine....

For a man 73 years old, almost all of us would agree a bovine valve was a reasonable and good choice. I think most of us would choose it in the same circumstances. The chances are very good that valve can last 18-20 years and who knows but maybe more. The bovine valves used these days are being treated differently than those of the past and have not been in use long enough to know for sure their 'life expectancy' but most surgeons are agreeing 15-20 years is likely possible particularly in a patient 60 years or older.

For people in their thirties, forties and fifties, the choice is far less clear.

As to the coumadin, it is possible Peter may not need to be on it permanently. He is brand new post op and the A Fib situation could change.

Hope you'll keep us posted how Peter and you are doing.
You seem to be a fast learner and are asking very good questions.

Best wishes to you both.

 

[corrineinwa]

Thank you for that information Jkm7.

I've mentioned somewhere else that they plan on trying cardioversion again in about 8 weeks but the surgeon has warned us that he's not confident it'll kick the A.Fib into touch. But if there's a chance, it's worth going for.

And I'm confident we'll deal with this hurdle in our lives. Peter is a strong and active man - he had absolutely no symptoms of this problem and was hard at clearing more of our land right up to the day this was picked up.

I suspect my biggest problem is going to be limiting him once he starts to feel better.

 

[susiesknight]

Answers

Answers

Al Capshaw asked me some questions for a survey so here goes the answers: I went to UAB because my local surgeon was not familiar with the repair of the aorta and felt I needed someone who had more experience. My thoratic aorta aneuryism was identified via my nurse practioner who heard the murmur when I was 45 and ordered an echo. Then every 3-4 years I had followup echos with minute changes until at the age of nearly 58, my 10/08 echo showed that I was at 4.5 plus I found out the source of the aneuryism:BAV that had calcified and was measured at .9cm The cardiologist I saw at age 45was soooo prophetic since he said I would probably require surgery when I reached the ripe age of 60. After the last echo, the new cardio doc had me do 3 tests: nuclear stress, heart cath, and CAT scan of the aorta. It was then determined that I needed an AVR(6 m-2 yrs) and possibly a repair of the aorta.THe local surgeon said have the surgery now rather than later. I then consulted Dr. McGiffin and he said he'd definitely know when he fixed the valve what might need to be done with the aorta. Apparently the blood traversed thru the valve in a v shaped patteren hitting the walls of the aorta at high velocity to create thinned tissue requiring repair.