Okay so my boyfriend's father is getting a heart valve replacement....he's so nervous he cried last night when he heard it will be in 2 weeks....and he's usually one of those tough guys has anyone or know anyone who has had this type of surgery. They are leaning towards a animal (cow or pig) valve...because with mechanical you have to take blood thinners for the rest of your life...anyways if anyone knows information on this or knows the pro's and cons of the two diff. types of valves please give me info. Thanks
I'm pretty sure you've got to take a blood thinner with ANY heart valve replacement. The difference is the dosage, really. At any rate, supposedly mechanical don't wear out as easily, and doesn't get rejected as much as with the bovine or porcine valves. I would recommend he calm down a little bit, though. His worrying is only putting more stress on his heart, and if the hospital doesn't consider it enough of an emergency to schedule him immediately, I wouldn't worry so much. There have been amazing advances in cardiac surgeries, and the risks are getting smaller and smaller. Either your boyfriend or his dad's significant other should make absolute sure that he meets his surgeon, and is confident in the surgeon's abilities. If he's not confident, find another one. Good luck with it, and take care.
Hey, Firstly, to answer your question, I quote from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons: ...there is little if any difference between valves. The principle advantage of mechanical valves is their excellent durability. From a practical standpoint, they do not wear out. The principle disadvantage is that there is a tendency for blood to clot on all mechanical valves. Therefore patients with artificial valves must take anticoagulants or blood thinners for the rest of their life. bovine or porcine valves have ...a reduced risk of blood clots forming but all are less durable than mechanical valves. Given enough time, they will probably all wear out. The options in this category include xenograft valves made from animal tissues (most often pig aortic valves), homograft or allograft valves retrieved from human cadavers, and pulmonary autograft valves moved from the patient's pulmonary artery on the right side of the heart to the aortic position on the left. The decision on the type of valve used should be made in conjunction with your cardiothoracic surgeon and your cardiologist. Ultimately the choice will depend on a patient's preferences, lifestyle, and individual risks as determined by age and other medical conditions. The risk for this kind of surgery is really high and depending on the individual the outcomes may vary. What I think your boyfriend's father needs now is reassurance from you guys, it must be really hard for him to have to expose his vurnerable side since he's always been the tough guy around. And look online for informations: www.nlm.nih /medlineplus/tutorials/heartvalvereplacement/htm/index.htm Medline is one of the most reliable database, I'd say you can read up the surgery there.
My girlfriend just replaced her pig valve with a mechanical last year. Since I have valve problems and may face the same decision, I asked her a lot of questions. The problem with the pig valve for her was that it just started to wear out and she started having symptoms of the mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation all over again. The surgery for the replacement mechanical valve was brutal and she really doesn't like having to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life. But, what she doesn't like even more is the very sound of the mechanical heart valve. It still (a year later) drives her crazy to hear it in a quiet room. It still keeps her up at night, makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep. She just cannot get used to the sound that it makes and the way it feels in her chest. I decided that knowing how this has made her feel and what she struggles with, I would opt for the pig replacement valve when I am faced with the decision.
I worked in ICU for 16 years, 8 of them with open heart patients. My dad also had 3 bypasses and 2 valves replaced at age 80. He will celebrate his 89th birthday in May. My dad had the mechanical because being 80, it should last the rest of his life. He does take blood thinners, as do millions of other people in the world. It's really not that big a deal, and if it prevents strokes and other problems related to clots, people accept that. You got a lot of good information in the Answer before mine, so I won't repeat. Just understand that it's perfectly normal to be petrified and tearful and scared about such a major surgery. Even the big macho men feel that way, and many of them had fears long after they had the valve done. It's normal. Attitude is a very big factor in uneventful recovery, those with more positive attitudes got better more quickly. So after the initial shock wears off, be sure that all of you encourage him, listen to his fears but help him understand it's a new lease on life for him and that all of you will be there to help him get back on his feet as quickly as possible. When I first started nursing, people would be in ICU for 4-5 days, then in the hospital another 2 weeks after having heart surgery. My dad was home in 5 days, and that was 9 years ago! Heart surgery has come a long way, and he has every right to be hopeful about the outcome. Good luck to him and all of you!
I have worked in the health care field as an Emergency Department manager for 12 years and had to keep up with the latest cardiac surgeries. Valve replacement is an extremely common surgery now a days. But as with any surgical procedure there are risks that the physician should explain completely until your boyfriend's father completely understands the entire process. To answer your question: The mechanical valves have been around for decades and are a proven technology. You are right, he would have to take a blood thinner for the rest of his life inorder to prevent clots from forming on the metal valve. Pros: it has a long successful history Cons: Blood thinning medication for lifeValve can wear out (after 10 to 15 years)Potentially longer recovery Conversely, the animal valves are more resilient and less likely to need replaced (although it can happen if not taken care of). There is much less need for prolonged blood thinning medication. Recovery can be shorter with less chances of strokes or heart attacks from small clots. If it were me that had to receive the valve...I would take the animal valves. Also...in some institutions (hospitals) the physicians may have the training and skills to perform this procedure through a catheterization procedure where there is no large incision in the chest. The heart valve is connected to a Stent that is inserted into the opening of the valve to be replaced--opened to cover the old valve--and left in place. The heart wall heals around the stent leaving the valve intact. I do not know where you are in the country, but many large University based Teaching hospitals can perform this procedure. I have listed two sites for additional information. Hope this helps.
