Hi, everyone, well, as sometimes happenes I encountered some "bumps" in the road. I expected a routine straight forward TAVR. Then my Doctor added a Basilica procedure. Still nothing too exciting. They started my 1 hour replacement at 6:30 as planned but didn't finish until 2:00.
The Basilica routine went as planned. The left leaflet was split to keep it out of the left carotid artery and all was well. Next, the balloon was inserted into the ring of my old Edwards 23mm Magna to fracture it to make room for the 26mm Medtronic CoreValve then "stuff" happened....fast. The ring was shattered, my heart stopped and quickly blood pressure dropped to zero which is rarely a good thing. Quickly the team of gorillas went to work pounding my chest while others brought the power lines into play to zap my heart. It worked and deep breaths were drawn all around.
Continuing, since my old valve was in ruins, the new valve was soon brought through and positioned. The wonderful moment arrived and it was released to fly free. It's position and pressure were just right to close that same left carotid artery. You know the drill. My heart stopped and blood pressure dropped dropping off to zero yet again. Once more the gorillas went to work and the power company was called to action and .... nothing worked. I understand that the gathered throng were not happy so they went to work. The TEE buoy was yanked out and I was (none too gently) intubated. Meanwhile, back at the ranch part of the team charged in with ECMO and put me on heart bypass. The gorillas were still at work by the way. As you have already surmised, my heart surrendered to the multifaceted assault and started pumping on its own. Once again, all around deep breaths. My Conductor had previously collapsed the new valve and out of concern for what happened, he pulled it out and parked it in the right side of my aorta. With valve No 2 out of the way No 3 was unwrapped and brought on line through the catheter. That is to say through catheter No 1 now that catheter No 2 (on the other side) had been brought into play. So, with a zap my heart began to beat as valve No 3 was carefully put in place and with the whole team holding their breath, the good Doctor set it free. And it worked. It might have asked "what is all the fuss about"?
I guess that after a suitable interval of admiring their handy work ...
and breathing deeply, they sent me off to the CT scanner to assess the toll.
This was the moment I woke up feeling cozy warm and filled with enough drugs that even the gorillas would have been laid back. Happily, four days later I am home and without brain damage. After hearing abought the "the events of the race" I even feel bad listing my aches but not too bad to actually do it. My left index finger is numb. My right arm is weak because It has been stressed. The left and right sides of my groin are magnificent displays of color. I have more punctures and in more places than I ever expected. My mouth and tongue are bruised and my chest hurts but only when I breathe. Astonishingly, the gorillas didn't break any of my ribs so I sent them a whole stalk of bananas. In the end, all is well and CoreValve No 3 is serving me well. So, "that's all folks" .... until next time.
Larry
Still in Tulsa
The Basilica routine went as planned. The left leaflet was split to keep it out of the left carotid artery and all was well. Next, the balloon was inserted into the ring of my old Edwards 23mm Magna to fracture it to make room for the 26mm Medtronic CoreValve then "stuff" happened....fast. The ring was shattered, my heart stopped and quickly blood pressure dropped to zero which is rarely a good thing. Quickly the team of gorillas went to work pounding my chest while others brought the power lines into play to zap my heart. It worked and deep breaths were drawn all around.
Continuing, since my old valve was in ruins, the new valve was soon brought through and positioned. The wonderful moment arrived and it was released to fly free. It's position and pressure were just right to close that same left carotid artery. You know the drill. My heart stopped and blood pressure dropped dropping off to zero yet again. Once more the gorillas went to work and the power company was called to action and .... nothing worked. I understand that the gathered throng were not happy so they went to work. The TEE buoy was yanked out and I was (none too gently) intubated. Meanwhile, back at the ranch part of the team charged in with ECMO and put me on heart bypass. The gorillas were still at work by the way. As you have already surmised, my heart surrendered to the multifaceted assault and started pumping on its own. Once again, all around deep breaths. My Conductor had previously collapsed the new valve and out of concern for what happened, he pulled it out and parked it in the right side of my aorta. With valve No 2 out of the way No 3 was unwrapped and brought on line through the catheter. That is to say through catheter No 1 now that catheter No 2 (on the other side) had been brought into play. So, with a zap my heart began to beat as valve No 3 was carefully put in place and with the whole team holding their breath, the good Doctor set it free. And it worked. It might have asked "what is all the fuss about"?
I guess that after a suitable interval of admiring their handy work ...
and breathing deeply, they sent me off to the CT scanner to assess the toll.
This was the moment I woke up feeling cozy warm and filled with enough drugs that even the gorillas would have been laid back. Happily, four days later I am home and without brain damage. After hearing abought the "the events of the race" I even feel bad listing my aches but not too bad to actually do it. My left index finger is numb. My right arm is weak because It has been stressed. The left and right sides of my groin are magnificent displays of color. I have more punctures and in more places than I ever expected. My mouth and tongue are bruised and my chest hurts but only when I breathe. Astonishingly, the gorillas didn't break any of my ribs so I sent them a whole stalk of bananas. In the end, all is well and CoreValve No 3 is serving me well. So, "that's all folks" .... until next time.
Larry
Still in Tulsa
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