Anyone had a paravalvular leak (PVL) repaired?
After complaining of anemia, SOB on exertion, and hemolysis, a TEE was performed and a significant leak around the outside of my mechanical mitral valve was found allowing a jet of blood to gush back up into the left atrium resulting in inefficient pumping action among other things. This seems likely to be causing most if not all of the hemolysis, which causes anemia, which causes reduced hemoglobin, which causes shortness of breath and cascades into a host of other symptoms as well, most insidiously, difficulty sleeping. During mitral valve replacement, evidently, a lot of calcification prevented the surgeon from completely securing the valve's sewing skirt to the tissue substrate. The leak may have been there ever since the OHS because, while improving a lot, I never quite reached my previous exercise tolerance after the surgery six years ago. And over the last two years symptoms have been getting progressively worse. We've managed to keep the anemia somewhat under control with weekly or biweekly Aranesp injections, which stimulate RBC production in the bone marrow, hence improved hemoglobin and hematocrit. But heart failure symptoms are occurring as a result of the inefficient pumping in spite of my normal blood pressure, normal weight, normal blood sugar, good diet and regular exercise, although my exercise performance has diminished correspondingly.
Because of the leak's size and location, the interventional cardiologist thinks there is a good 70% chance the leak can be repaired percutaneously (using a catheter through a vein). I'm not up for another OHS at 71. He will guide and release a plug into the hole where the plug expands to fill the void. It's a compression fit, and my hope is that it won't pop like a champagne cork under the pressure from the left ventricle. I asked the doctor if that ever happens and he says, he's seen it once in a patient (not one he had repaired) where the plug had loosened, traveled and ended up having to be dislodged from a vein in the patient's leg.
Conceptually what these guys do is not much different than what a plumber would do except the tools and techniques are so much more complicated.
The PVL closure is schedule for Sept 25, 2023. Just wondering if anyone can share positive outcomes.
After complaining of anemia, SOB on exertion, and hemolysis, a TEE was performed and a significant leak around the outside of my mechanical mitral valve was found allowing a jet of blood to gush back up into the left atrium resulting in inefficient pumping action among other things. This seems likely to be causing most if not all of the hemolysis, which causes anemia, which causes reduced hemoglobin, which causes shortness of breath and cascades into a host of other symptoms as well, most insidiously, difficulty sleeping. During mitral valve replacement, evidently, a lot of calcification prevented the surgeon from completely securing the valve's sewing skirt to the tissue substrate. The leak may have been there ever since the OHS because, while improving a lot, I never quite reached my previous exercise tolerance after the surgery six years ago. And over the last two years symptoms have been getting progressively worse. We've managed to keep the anemia somewhat under control with weekly or biweekly Aranesp injections, which stimulate RBC production in the bone marrow, hence improved hemoglobin and hematocrit. But heart failure symptoms are occurring as a result of the inefficient pumping in spite of my normal blood pressure, normal weight, normal blood sugar, good diet and regular exercise, although my exercise performance has diminished correspondingly.
Because of the leak's size and location, the interventional cardiologist thinks there is a good 70% chance the leak can be repaired percutaneously (using a catheter through a vein). I'm not up for another OHS at 71. He will guide and release a plug into the hole where the plug expands to fill the void. It's a compression fit, and my hope is that it won't pop like a champagne cork under the pressure from the left ventricle. I asked the doctor if that ever happens and he says, he's seen it once in a patient (not one he had repaired) where the plug had loosened, traveled and ended up having to be dislodged from a vein in the patient's leg.
Conceptually what these guys do is not much different than what a plumber would do except the tools and techniques are so much more complicated.
The PVL closure is schedule for Sept 25, 2023. Just wondering if anyone can share positive outcomes.
