Need Ross Procedure Info

[needinfo]

My 41 year old active husband was just diagnosed with aortic stenosis. He exercises 30-40miles per week. Dr's are recommending the ross procedure. Can anyone comment on their results from the Ross and who did it.:

Thanks
From the middle of Kansas

 

[Mary]

Hi and welcome!
If you will do a search (up at the top of the screen) you will find many posts about the Ross procedure.
How far are you willing to travel for your husband to have the procedure? If the cardiologists are recommending the Ross, who are they recommending as a surgeon?
If you read the search results, I think you will have more specific questions that members who have had the Ross can answer.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

One of our members, StretchL, researched for the Best of the Best RP Surgeons. He went to New York for his porcedure. Click on Members List, then find his name, and read thrugh his Posts.

He also had his RP photographed by a fellow photographer and has an excellent Photo Journal on his website. All of that information should be readily available in his posts or under his personal information in the Members List.

You will definitely want to see a surgeon with LOTS of RP experience and a good track record. Not many surgeons do this procedure.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[leecrowley]

Dr. William Ryan at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas gets my highest recommendation. I am a 38 y.o. male. He did my Ross in August 2006. I couldn't be happier with the results so far. He has done over 200 of these surgeries, so he's very experienced. Feel free to send me a Private Message with any specific questions about the surgery you may have. I'd be happy to share my experience with you.

Good luck.

Lee

 

[Turkey Hunter]

Everyone is "partial" to their surgeon. We all think ours is the best.

I feel that way about my TWO surgeons.

I had my RP in 2000. My surgical results have been amazing, other than weak aortic tissue that has allowed another ascending aortic aneurysm that we are keeping a close eye one.

The best advice I can give you is to do alot of research about every option and the experience of each suregeon and make the best choice you can that makes each of you feel comfortable.

Ben

 

[WayneGM]

Welcome to the VR Community. Glad you found us. I can't add to what's been said, but I highly recommend you checking out StretchL's site as he has all sorts of information about the Ross Procedure, as well as his photojournal, archived there. Here is the link.

http://stretchphotography.com/avr

Best wishes and good luck.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Here is the name of StretchL's surgeon (from his signature line)

Ross Procedure 12/11/06 by The Great and Powerful Dr. Paul Stelzer of Beth Israel Hospital, NYC. http://ps4ross.com

To view a photojournal of my experience with valve replacement surgery, please visit http://stretchphotography.com/avr and click on the word "Images." (Please note that there are four pages in the gallery.)

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Ross]

Link to Stretches files:

http://www.stretchphotography.com/avr/

List of Ross Surgeons : This is really outdated, but the most current info up to 1998.

http://members.cox.net/myrossprocedure/phys/

 

[needinfo]

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who posted. It's all overwhelming, but helped to use this site. We are leaning towards mechanical. Will know more after his heartcath on Thursday.

Thanks
Lori

 

[Ross]

Yes it is overwhelming, especially when it's in a hurry. Absorb what you can, when you can.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Thanks to everyone who posted. It's all overwhelming, but helped to use this site. We are leaning towards mechanical. Will know more after his heartcath on Thursday.

Thanks
Lori

For mechanical valves, I like the advancements offered by the relatively new (1996) On-X Valves. See www.onxvalves.com and www.heartvalvechoice.com

If you prefer going with a Long Track Record of Durability, you can't beat the STANDARD St. Jude (Masters) Valve. See www.sjm.com

'AL Capshaw'

 

[teri]

My husband, age 48, had the Ross Procedure in August of 2006. His surgery was performed by Dr. John W. Brown at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Dr. Brown has received national attention because of his work, and I'm sure you can "google" him to get more information. We had a fantastic outcome. DJ returned to work in about 7 weeks, and is currently not taking any heart medications at all. He is just as active as before the surgery and feels terrific. Good luck as you do your research. It is a difficult time, but you will know when the right choice for you is presented.

 

[needinfo]

Thanks

Thanks

Teri

Thanks for your input. I read a lot of bad things about the
Ross. It's good to hear some good. My husband is leaning
towards mechanical so he won't have to have more surgery hopefully. We don't know when. He has a heartcath November 8th. We will know more then. Our Dr's around here don't do the Ross. One in Wichita just started, but we want more experience than that.

Thanks
Lori

 

[chilihead]

Ross Procedure

Ross Procedure

I second the vote for Dr. William Ryan in Dallas. There is another fine Ross docter in Austin Texas named Chip Oswalt. If you have the time and money to travel farther the great Paul Stelzer would be good or possibly someone at the Cleveland clinic. The success of this procedure greatly depends on the skill and judgement of the surgeon. Also, get a plan B in mind in case they get in and find out that your husband is not a good Ross candidate.
It's a tough decision. I had mine in November of 2003 and have had no problems.

 

[pamela]

My surgeon didn't recommend the Ross since he likened it to 2 valve replacements instead of one. He makes a good point. The fewer scars on your heart muscle, the better it is for electrical conductivity. Our hearts depend on tight synchronization to be the most effective pump possible. As soon as we cut a conduit carrying the wiring, we risk shorting it all out.

Everyone's valve replacement choice is unique to them. You've been doing all you can to get informed and I'm sure your surgeons will be happier to share their knowledge with a patient who has the equipment to make a good decision than to need to take valuable diagnostic time up with teaching about valve choices.

 

[Bryan B]

My surgeon didn't recommend the Ross since he likened it to 2 valve replacements instead of one. He makes a good point. The fewer scars on your heart muscle, the better it is for electrical conductivity. Our hearts depend on tight synchronization to be the most effective pump possible. As soon as we cut a conduit carrying the wiring, we risk shorting it all out.

Everyone's valve replacement choice is unique to them. You've been doing all you can to get informed and I'm sure your surgeons will be happier to share their knowledge with a patient who has the equipment to make a good decision than to need to take valuable diagnostic time up with teaching about valve choices.

It's a difficult decision...one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in my life. I would recommend that if your husband has a bicuspid valve he needs to see a surgeon with a lot of experience doing the RP (or deciding not to do it) on patients with this particular disorder. Many people with a bicuspid valve also tend to have connective tissue disorders and the RP is not recommended for those patients...yet many people with bicuspid valves have had successful RP's with no complications. I had my RP in March of 04 and so far I have had no complications from the procedure. I did not have a bicuspid valve and my pulmonary valve was in great shape and a perfect match so I think I was an ideal candidate for the RP.

I'd like to correct one thing Pamela mentioned. She is correct that once you have had the RP you have effectively become a "two valve patient". But since the pulmonary valve is on the outside of the heart (unlike the other 3 heart valves) I wouldn't agree with the statement that removing the pulmonary valve would cause additional "heart scars". Replacing the pulmonary valve using a catheter is becoming more common since it is easily accessible and is not subjected to the pressure of the other heart valves (especiallly the aortic valve). Being able to replace the pulmonary valve in this fashion would not require cutting into the heart muscle.

If I had it to do over again I would make the same decision, but the bottom line is that when I woke up after surgery I would have easily been able to accept whatever valve my surgeon ultimately felt was best once he got a look inside. The only difference is that I may have changed my backup choice from a tissue valve to a mechanical valve given my age at the time (43).

 

[Adam 12-21-05]

As a Ross Procedure patient, I've done quite a bit of research on the RP.

In fact, I even met Donald Ross a few weeks ago. Very nice man. Very active as well. The day after we spoke he was headed to China for some conferences.

Anyways, here is some data on the Ross Procedure and heart valve surgery:

Ross Procedure Statistics - Success, Failure, Reoperations

Cheers,

Adam