Susan Lynn Most mitral valves are repaired- experienced mitral valve surgeons repair whenever possible - usuall... Read more
Susan Lynn Most mitral valves are repaired- experienced mitral valve surgeons repair whenever possible - usually over 90% of the cases. Once an artificial valve is part of the heart, life-long blood thinners are required to prevent clotting and stroke risks. Finding an experienced Mitral valve surgeon who does a high volume of successful repairs is key to a great outcome.
Klara Čičić I am not sure about that statistic, but if it is really the case, only reason for that could be the s ... Read more
Klara Čičić I am not sure about that statistic, but if it is really the case, only reason for that could be the surgeon's lack of skill to repair (it is more complex than a replacement). Otherwise, reapir is always the first option, when there could be one done. Rarely mitral valves really can't be repaired in experienced surgeon's hands.
Richard Munson Happy with my repair but then my annual echo is today so i will know more later.
Klara Čičić Good luck Rich, let us know how it went!!
Donna Casaletto Good luck Richard and remember to request for my stay your old room with the spectacular view 😉 ... Read more
Donna Casaletto Good luck Richard and remember to request for my stay your old room with the spectacular view 😉😂‼️
Ginny Turner I second Susan's comment above. As you research surgeons, always ask their repair vs replacement perc ... Read more
Ginny Turner I second Susan's comment above. As you research surgeons, always ask their repair vs replacement percentages. Of course, each case is individual, and replacement may be indicated, but a repair likely will avoid blood thinners and a possible repeat surgery years later. My first opinion surgeon had a much lower repair rate (in the 60% range) than the surgeon I chose, whose rate was in the 98%+ range. Richard, hope your echo goes well today!
Rita Savelis A repair is always attempted and a replacement is then done if it can't be repaired. The mitral valve ... Read more
Rita Savelis A repair is always attempted and a replacement is then done if it can't be repaired. The mitral valve is tricky and everyone hopes for a repair.
Kimberly Eisenhut Richard, let us know how it goes today! I am still looking for someone like me who had moderate t ... Read more
Kimberly Eisenhut Richard, let us know how it goes today! I am still looking for someone like me who had moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation. I do know how rare it is, but would be so nice to be able to talk with someone who has same thing. Dr. has told me I may never find someone, but I can try :)
Richard Munson Had my echo but will wait till my local cardiologist appt. The 17th to get results. Assume if i’m o ... Read more
Richard Munson Had my echo but will wait till my local cardiologist appt. The 17th to get results. Assume if i’m on deaths door, they will advise me earlier. Donna: i am now getting the echo locally. I love mgh but it is a bear trying to get in there plus parking and i was only seeing the cardiologist’s nurse. She was great but i felt i was getting shortchanged. Plus i like my local guy. For heart surgery of course i would go there.
Donna Casaletto Richard now I rememberI You mentioned that before about going locally!! I don’t blame you as parkin ... Read more
Donna Casaletto Richard now I rememberI You mentioned that before about going locally!! I don’t blame you as parking is crazy! No news is good news 🙏until the 17th
Brady Busch Sounds like either go local or go loco.Okay,I'll leave the jokes to Richard.
Richard Munson No brady, please contribute jokes, i get stale. I’m already loco in case you didn’t know.
Ana Brusso Richard, will wait until the 17th to get your update. I will pray for good results. We were all locos ... Read more
Ana Brusso Richard, will wait until the 17th to get your update. I will pray for good results. We were all locos and enjoy all of your jokes. Laughing is a good medicine.
Leona Resch Praying you get great results on the 17th Richard!
How does one join this 'group'?My 87 year old Mamma has moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. She also has multiple other health issues including two ...Read more
How does one join this 'group'?My 87 year old Mamma has moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. She also has multiple other health issues including two auto-immune diseases. Her cardiologist doesn't think the mitral clip has enough available long-term information. He believes that if Mamma decided to have surgery that the longer she waits the less likely for a good outcome and he believes that open chest is the way to go. He said that if it were his own mother he would probably advise his mother to just tell them to (excuse me, but this is a direct quote) "screw it". I never heard him talk like that before. My thing is this...her ejection fraction is still holding up at > or = to 55%, and her heart really isn't enlarging so far and what I want is maximum life span for my Mamma to keep her with me as long as possible. Octogenarian are high risk on outcomes for this surgery. I am not ready to lose her. I have a real need for her too. Can anyone please share experiences regarding little elderly ladies going through this?
Ana Brusso Hello, it seems you just joined. Welcome
Private Please Thank you! I hope to find advice or experience from others
Ana Brusso Are you from Mobile, Alabama? I don’t know what is available in your area but, you would feel more ... Read more
Ana Brusso Are you from Mobile, Alabama? I don’t know what is available in your area but, you would feel more comfortable if you get a second or third opinion or until you find a cardiologist you are comfortable with for your Mamma. Some of our heart warriors on this site can chime in who have had elderly relatives who have had surgeries or themselves. I truly hope you find the right cardiologist and surgeon for your Mamma’s surgery. I don’t understand why her doctor behaved so badly. I will pray for you both to find the right answers. God bless you both ❤️🙏
Private Please Mamma has also had A-Fib for maybe22 years or so, and her cardiologist never thought ablation was the ... Read more
Private Please Mamma has also had A-Fib for maybe22 years or so, and her cardiologist never thought ablation was the right way for her to go because she didn't have symptoms from her A-Fib. We are actually fond of her cardiologist, but we don't know why open chest is his preference for this. He seems leary of the mitra-clip catheter procedure.
Deena Z I agree with Ana to get a second opinion. Also, the mitral clip was invented for persons like your mo ... Read more
Deena Z I agree with Ana to get a second opinion. Also, the mitral clip was invented for persons like your mom, so not sure why your cardiologist said what he did.
Angela Meletiadis I think Deena and Ana are right on. Get a second opinion, and if you really want to learn about the o ... Read more
Angela Meletiadis I think Deena and Ana are right on. Get a second opinion, and if you really want to learn about the options, check out the videos on this site, if you can handle them. You will learn a lot. I know a woman who got the mitra-clip here in Greece and she is over 90 now.
Richard Munson I think my response to that would be unprintable.
Rose Madura Being fond of your cardiologist or not, you should get a second opinion.
Patsy Stewart You’ve received lots of good advice. I also say to get a second opinion. This is a problem that doe ... Read more
Patsy Stewart You’ve received lots of good advice. I also say to get a second opinion. This is a problem that does NOT improve and there’s nothing you can do to make it better other than surgery. It only worsens, and could cause other heart problems. No matter how fond of your cardiologist you are, your mamma is your top priority. Perhaps he doesn’t suggest the mitral clip because he is not confident to do it himself. Find someone who does this type of surgery, and see if they are a better fit for your mamma’s situation. There is hope. You have to search it out.
Marie Myers The less invasive procedures , like Mitra Clip and TAVR were developed and found to be a great choice ... Read more
Marie Myers The less invasive procedures , like Mitra Clip and TAVR were developed and found to be a great choice for elderly or very sick patients. A friend of mine had TAVR years ago at age 98, and lived to 101. I doubt she would have survived full open heart surgery at 98.. If it were my relative (At 87) I would choose the less-invasive method. Find another opinion if you can.
Private Please Thank you Marie! I really appreciate hearing about your friend.
I am from: Mobile
I am still looking for someone like me who had moderate t ... Read more
I am still looking for someone like me who had moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation. I do know how rare it is, but would be so nice to be able to talk with someone who has same thing. Dr. has told me I may never find someone, but I can try :)