Rich Krakowski - Heart Valve Journal

My Journal

1421 days ago

Good morning. Question for the group. I am 2 years post bicuspid valve repair. Doing well but started getting palpitations, usually at night. Cardiologist said ...Read more

Good morning. Question for the group. I am 2 years post bicuspid valve repair. Doing well but started getting palpitations, usually at night. Cardiologist said heart looks good and they're benign pvc's. But each time they occur it scares the heck out of me. Anyone else had them?

Marie Myers I had some irregular heartbeats in the early post op period from my AVR and ascending aneurysm repair ... Read more

Marie Myers I had some irregular heartbeats in the early post op period from my AVR and ascending aneurysm repair. Fast forward 4 years, and I only get them rarely now. I think if you have increasing episodes of irregular beats, I would check in with your cardiologist.

Rich Krakowskiposted an update

1607 days ago

2 people reacted to this

Hi everyone. Question for the group. I am a year and a half post aortic valve repair and root surgery. Feel good except I'm getting daily heart flutters/skip ...Read more

Hi everyone. Question for the group. I am a year and a half post aortic valve repair and root surgery. Feel good except I'm getting daily heart flutters/skip a beat. Cardiologist says he's not concerned since there's no dizziness, pain, etc. Hard to not get scared when you feel your heart pause. Has anyone else had these?

Alex Sigalov Hi Rich i am 8 month post op, i get PAC pretty often almost dialy basis, although it has got better t ... Read more

Alex Sigalov Hi Rich i am 8 month post op, i get PAC pretty often almost dialy basis, although it has got better than couple of months ago, my Dr told me same thing nothing concerning. aslo my resting heart rate is in 50 low 60 not sure if tjat could be a facto, It is pretty concerning when i have it but for me it more feels like its hard to breath, but when i take my bloodox its good ao maybe in my head, but i feel exactly same as u do, i think they can do cardivertion for people that it really bothers

Rich Krakowski Thanks for sharing

Rich Krakowskiposted a journal

2140 days ago

1 person reacted to this

Hi everyone. I recently had bicuspid valve repair surgery. Went well. There is still some regurgitation but the surgeon was happy. Said it could last a ...Read more

Hi everyone. I recently had bicuspid valve repair surgery. Went well. There is still some regurgitation but the surgeon was happy. Said it could last a long time (90% after 20 years). I then went to the cardiologist and he was less optimistic. He thought only 7 years. How could it be so different? I feel like the surgeon is the one who was in there?

Bill Gillam 7 years? B.S. Repairs using your own tissue should restore your normal life span unless you get so ... Read more

Bill Gillam 7 years? B.S. Repairs using your own tissue should restore your normal life span unless you get some sort of infection.

Rich Krakowski Thank you. Good to hear a positive response. I was picturing having another open heart in 7 years

Susan Lynn I realize medicine isn't an exact science, but that is a pretty big difference of opinion. I'd cal ... Read more

Susan Lynn I realize medicine isn't an exact science, but that is a pretty big difference of opinion. I'd call them both out on it and then, I'd get a third evaluation. You need to be your own advocate. Best of luck!

Rob Sparling The average — roughly 14 years — seems like a reasonable thing to use as a reference point. Ther ... Read more

Rob Sparling The average — roughly 14 years — seems like a reasonable thing to use as a reference point. There is no guaranteee either way. Plan for 7, stretch it for 15 and be an overachiever at 20. They might BOTH be wrong and you *never* need to go back. Every day is a new journey in this heart valve ecosystem we live in! ❤️💪

Willie Radl Rich, its probably too hard to tell at this point. Do you know how bad the regurgitation is? It also ... Read more

Willie Radl Rich, its probably too hard to tell at this point. Do you know how bad the regurgitation is? It also will depend on whether or not your LV is enlarged and how well its functioning. I think there is some grey area where the valve may still be durable but the regurgitation may still persist and balancing how those two items correlate. I agree with Rob, hope for the best but be realistic about another potential surgery down the road. There are no surgeries that are 100%, we all live in the uncertain world and the best we can do is to keep up with the routine visits to the cardiologist.

Jill Mullikin My now 20 year old son had bicuspid repair surgery in September last year. For his 3 month echo our ... Read more

Jill Mullikin My now 20 year old son had bicuspid repair surgery in September last year. For his 3 month echo our cardiologist rated his remaining regurgitation as mild to moderate and our surgeon rated the same echo as very mild. I think that our cardiologist likely doesn’t have much experience with repair but I really don’t know. I like the surgeons opinion better. The important thing is that my son’s heart remodeled beautifully and his left ventricle returned to normal size. I hope the repair will last a very, very long time or at least until the procedures advance even more.

Mitchell Collins Rich, I had a bicuspid valve repair in 2001 and I am having it replaced next Tuesday, Feb 12th, 2019. ... Read more

Mitchell Collins Rich, I had a bicuspid valve repair in 2001 and I am having it replaced next Tuesday, Feb 12th, 2019. My repair looked really good until the last 2 years. I have severe stenosis now but I am pretty much still without symptoms. Wishing you the best. Mitch

Jill Mullikin Mitchell, I’m sorry you are facing surgery again but I’d say 18 years is a good run for a repair! ... Read more

Jill Mullikin Mitchell, I’m sorry you are facing surgery again but I’d say 18 years is a good run for a repair! My son is having a difficult time accepting a 50 pound weight restriction for life. (He’s a deer hunter and I’ve told him they said he can still hunt. The family will just always be on call to drag it out of the woods.). Did you have a similar restriction? Also, what surgeon did your repair?

Rich Krakowski Good luck Mitchell. 18 years was a good run. This week you'll be good as new!