Paul Stelzer-Ross Procedure-November?

[StretchL]

Greetings, all.

My congenital BAV is in need of a replacement, and I'm hoping to do it in early November, after my assignment calendar has slowed down. I'm debating the Ross Procedure v. mechanical valve.

First of all, I want to thank everyone on this forum for making this community possible. I've never been and still am not terribly nervous about getting the valve replaced, but I'm very grateful nontheless to hear the experiences of others who've been there and are going there. The scientific references have also been invaluable.

Thank you.

Last Wednesday I met with the chief of cardiothoracic surgeon at the Medical College of Virginia here in Richmond, Dr. V. Kasirajan. He is not at all enthusiastic about the Ross, and recommended at St. Jude's or bovine pericardium valve. He was very nice, seemed very knowledgeable, and spent an hour chatting with my wife and I.

After reading a lot about the Ross online and in medical journals, I decided to have a chat with Dr. Paul Stelzer at Beth Israel Hospital in New York. He's done over 400 of Rosses, and along with Dr. Ron Elkins helped introduce the surgery to the US in the early 1980's.

I had spoken with Dr. Stelzer and the folks in his office a few time previous, so when I called and asked for a consultation they already knew quite a bit about me.

He generally meets with patients on Wednesdays and operates the other days. Unfortunately, going up to NY on a Wednesday isn't very convenient for Noni (my wife) or I, so we asked about any other options.

In an e-mail to me on Thursday, Dr. Stelzer suggested that we meet on Saturday. That's right... Saturday over Labor Day weekend. It was the the perfect time for us to get up there from Virginia, and he was gracious enough to spent not one, not two, but FIVE AND A HALF hours yakking it up with us about the Ross Procedure, etc! Wow!

Dr. Stelzer seems to be a very down to earth man. More of a healer than a scientist I would say, with the bedside manner more of a skilled country doctor than big shot chest cutter. Noni and I were both very impressed.

I've not decided yet whether to have mechanical or Ross, but I left New York feeling very comfortable with the idea of returning there to be cut upon by this remarkable man.

For anyone interested in Dr. Stelzer, here are a couple of links to biographical and Ross-type information on him:

www.ps4ross.com

http://www.manhattanchurch.org/about_paul.asp

Also, a quick link about the Ross from a group in Texas:

http://www.ctvstexas.com/a_rprocedure.html

 

[MarkRose]

Hi Stretch -
What can I say about Dr. Stelzer? YES YES YES!!!!
Last year, I was in your position, considering a mechanical valve vs the Ross.
To make things more complicated, I live in Brazil, and had to travel to NY to get the Ross done.
After hearing some stories from some of Dr. Stelzer´s patients that post here, and meeting the man himself (he is also working with the surgeon who did my first AVR) - I decided to go for the Ross.
That was 9 months ago and I feel GREAT!
I have to be honest and say that I didn´t even feel like I had had surgery, for me it was a SPA vacation! They kept me on morphine for 1 1/2 days, but after that it was just plain old Tylenol. The unit at Beth Israel NY is MARVELOUS.
I used to be able to feel and hear my heart beating because of the tissue valve, I was always conscious of it, and that has changed. I still have some so-so days, but for the most part, I feel like everything is natural and MINE in there.
And no anti-coagulation, thank goodness.
Hope this helps, and good luck with your decision!
Margaret

 

[dcpickle]

Many of us here are very fond of our own heart surgeons. Must be some sort of a syndrome where we bond to the person who saved our lives, or something. But still, My wife and I are convinced Dr. Stelzer hung the moon. He's like a family friend now, not just the guy who did my heart surgery. I thank God for bringing me to him. I'm almost 2 years out now, and doing great. So far I'm glad I had a Ross Procedure.

I was miserable for about 3 days after surgery, then after 4 days they kicked me out of the hospital and I stayed aweek or so in the apartment bldg. across the street in an apartment arranged by Dr. Stelzer's office. It was kind of a dump, but my wife and I spent a wonderful week there. I was just so glad to be alive and out of surgery. We got out and did a little sight-seeing and shopping. We look back on that time very fondly.

All that to say "thumbs up" for Dr. Stelzer.

"I Heart NY" has a special significance for me!

 

[Mary]

Dr. Stelzer is well known on the site, and several of us have benefitted from his taking the time to confer with us concerning upcoming Ross procedures.
I was fortunate enough to have several calls and many emails from Dr. Stelzer before my surgery, and even though I opted not to go with my planned Ross, Dr. Stelzer was gracious enough to ask about my subsequent recovery in a discussion with another valve replacement member.

He is a marvelous surgeon, and I think you would do well to use him for your Ross or a replacement if the Ross falls through.

 

[RCB]

Wow!

Wow!

"In an e-mail to me on Thursday, Dr. Stelzer suggested that we meet on Saturday. That's right... Saturday over Labor Day weekend. It was the the perfect time for us to get up there from Virginia, and he was gracious enough to spent not one, not two, but FIVE AND A HALF hours yakking it up with us about the Ross Procedure, etc! Wow!

Dr. Stelzer seems to be a very down to earth man. More of a healer than a scientist I would say, with the bedside manner more of a skilled country doctor than big shot chest cutter. Noni and I were both very impressed."

Stretch,
Very impressive indeed and he must have been by you! You are a lucky man.

 

[sylviayasgur]

Ditto

Ditto

you're right, everyone thinks their surgeon is the best. that is as it should be.

still, i agree (and i speak for joey too), dr. paul stelzer is a talented and brilliant surgeon who is "at the peak of his performance" (as quoted by a friend and fellow doctor of his from years back). he is a warm, gentle man who treats his patients like he would his friends and family.
i can't find words enough to describe how great joey, i, our girls and our entire families found him to be.

i would recommend him in a heartbeat (no pun intended).

didn't mean to go on and on... sorry!

be well, sylvia

 

[StretchL]

i agree (and i speak for joey too), dr. paul stelzer is a talented and brilliant surgeon who is "at the peak of his performance" (as quoted by a friend and fellow doctor of his from years back). he is a warm, gentle man who treats his patients like he would his friends and family.
i can't find words enough to describe how great joey, i, our girls and our entire families found him to be.

i would recommend him in a heartbeat (no pun intended).

We may have covered this previously, but how did you like Beth Israel and the care you received by the nursing staff, etc?

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi stretch,
beth israel was secondary to choosing dr. stelzer. joey had a private room (i think they're all private on the ccu floor), which he liked. the nurses were great. as with anywhere, there are those you love and those you do not take a liking to. there were several night nurses joey did not like, one in particular. she told him that he was a complainer. can you imagine?
(i actually thought he rarely complained!!!). he was probably telling her to let him sleep and go away!

i'm not sure if they've done any renovations in the last 5 years, but it was not what you would call a NEW facility. fine though for what we needed.

there are rooms across the street that your wife/family can stay in while you are in the hospital. i think you can arrange this through dr. stelzer's office. nothing luxurious though. what i liked was that there are deli's and bakeries, etc in the neighborhood so i could go get joey some soup or a sandwich that tasted decent. (even though he didn't eat much at the beginning).

hope this helped,
sylvia

 

[dcpickle]

My experience was that I had a great nurse in ICU, and most of the nurses on the floor were average to very good. I had no complaints except one time they were talking so loud outside my room at night I had to yell at them to be quiet, which they did. Other than that they were great. My anesthesiologist was excellent. Big Hungarian guy whose name I can't remember.

The hospital is old and not luxurious at all. The room where I had an x-ray done had a bunch of old equipment piled up in the corner. But it was fine. None of it really mattered because Dr. Stelzer was the reason for going there. BTW he has a great surgical support team including an assistant named Rachel who works only with him. She had a baby a few months ago so she might be on maternity leave now.

The comments about the food around the hospital was right on. Deli's, restaurants, street vendors, etc. all within easy reach.

There are lots of things I could complain about, such as noise all night long; but I love NY anyway, and if I had it all to do over again, there's no question I'd do it exactly the same way.

If you stay in Gilman Hall, look for Jimmy the doorman. He was the greatest. He'll help you in any way possible. No one will ever tell me New Yorkers are unfriendly. That's a big myth.

Best of luck in whatever you choose. It's your heart and you must do whatever you feel is best. Luckily all the choices are good choices!

 

[lopearredlady]

2-months post Ross

2-months post Ross

Stretch,
I had my Ross procedure two months ago by a colleague and friend of Dr. Steltzer's, Dr. John Oswalt. I am 52 and chose the Ross because outside of
aortic stenosis, I had a reasonably healthy heart (no coronary artery disease and straight-forward congenital defects). Dr. O is my heroe; was able to improvise when he discovered some congenital surprises once inside, and I am so thankful to be doing so well. I personally am also thankful that I did not have to deal with Coumadin. I admire everyone on this site who does well with it, but just from my experience with fellow valve folks in cardio rehab., it can be an ongoing challenge. I wish the best for you; choose your surgeon well! I watched Dr. Steltzer do the Ross procedure prior to my surgery-quite impressive. I have heard great things about him.
The best to you,
Terry

 

[StretchL]

Thanks, Terry!

Thanks, Terry!

I think I first head Oswalt's name from Oury in Montana, then he was mentioned by Stelzer. His published results are very impressive. I spoke with him today and he seems like a very well informed and straight talking man. Glad he got to work on you!

 

[Tom F.]

Something I learned while searching for a surgeon a few years ago was that doctors will alwys downplay the value of a surgical procedure that they cannot perform. So as for the Ross, lots of surgeons cannot do them, so they downplay its value, the same for valve sparing procedures. If you want a Ross find a guy that has a great track record, he alone will be able to tell you if its right for you.

 

[CathyK.]

Where is Oswalt?

Where is Oswalt?

Hello everyone! This is my first time to talk with you all! I have been actively reading everything on this site in hopes that I can come to a decision. I have a bicuspid aortic valve that was found 5 yrs ago. Have been having echo's every 6 mths since. My last echo in July showed some chamber enlargement so was scheduled for a cath and TEE. Had those done and then met with a surgeon. They say I am a controversial case because they all have different opinions on what I should do. However, my Cardio, his colleague that did the TEE, and the surgeon all tell me that it is ultimatly my decision on when and what! My cardio thinks it is time for surgery, the colleague and surgeon think I still have room to push it a little further. I am 44 yrs old as of Tuesday, am married and have 3 boys; 18yrs., 16yrs., 15yrs. I don't think I want to put if off and end up having an emergency situation. With all involved, I would much rather plan it out and it can be a little more of a calmer attmosphere for those having to go through this with me. I would like to have surgery in Nov. (works out good for everyone's schedules) but can't decide on what kind for sure and where. So I am checking out my options at this point and really don't want the mechanical valve. My surgeon is trying to sway me in that direction due to my age. I just don't think that is right for me. So I am checking out the other two options; Pig or Ross?

 

[Mary]

Hello everyone! This is my first time to talk with you all! I have been actively reading everything on this site in hopes that I can come to a decision. I have a bicuspid aortic valve that was found 5 yrs ago. Have been having echo's every 6 mths since. My last echo in July showed some chamber enlargement so was scheduled for a cath and TEE. Had those done and then met with a surgeon. They say I am a controversial case because they all have different opinions on what I should do. However, my Cardio, his colleague that did the TEE, and the surgeon all tell me that it is ultimatly my decision on when and what! My cardio thinks it is time for surgery, the colleague and surgeon think I still have room to push it a little further. I am 44 yrs old as of Tuesday, am married and have 3 boys; 18yrs., 16yrs., 15yrs. I don't think I want to put if off and end up having an emergency situation. With all involved, I would much rather plan it out and it can be a little more of a calmer attmosphere for those having to go through this with me. I would like to have surgery in Nov. (works out good for everyone's schedules) but can't decide on what kind for sure and where. So I am checking out my options at this point and really don't want the mechanical valve. My surgeon is trying to sway me in that direction due to my age. I just don't think that is right for me. So I am checking out the other two options; Pig or Ross?

Cathy,
I'm happy to welcome another Missourian to the VR site! Your question about optimal timing to undergo replacement is one many of us have faced as is your question regarding valve selection choice.
I believe you will receive more immediate responses if you start a thread in either the presurgery forum or valve selection forum.
I look forward to reading more of your posts, and once again, Welcome to VR!
Mary in Cape Girardeau

 

[CathyK.]

Thanks Mary! I'll do that!

 

[lopearredlady]

Oswalt

Oswalt

Cathy K,
Dr. John Oswalt is in Austin, Texas. The Ross is definitely worth looking into and Dr. O is the best-extremely knowledgeable; unpretentious with an exceptional bedside manner! He looked at all of my videos and explained every detail to my husband and me for a very long time. He discussed all options with us and we made our decision on the Ross. He has performed
many, many Rosses.
Terry

 

[ks1490]

i also had a very positive experience with him

i also had a very positive experience with him

I went to Dr. Stelzer for a consultation earlier this summer, I wasn't leaning towards any type of approach and he didn't try to steer me towards one, I went in thinking I'd get a half hour with him and wound up staying for 2 hours, he was very generous with his time. Even if you don't go with him for your surgery, he is a great resource for learning more about your options.