My severely calcified stenotic aortic valve and ascending aortic aneurysm were excised and replaced with prostheses.
VALVE TISSUE INSPIRIS 25MM - S11344489 EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES- 5126. The frame is a radiopaque cobalt chromium alloy. To date, more than 300,000 INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valves have been implanted into patients worldwide.
A close reading of the fine print:
Gelweave™ vascular prostheses with radiopaque markers were determined to be Magnetic Resonance (MR) conditional. Non-clinical testing determined that prostheses with radiopaque markers were MR conditional. A patient with this prosthesis can be scanned safely, immediately after placement of the prosthesis under the following conditions:
Static Magnetic Field
Static magnetic field of 3 Tesla or less. - Maximum spatial gradient magnetic field of 720 Gauss/cm or less.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) RELATED HEATING
In non-clinical testing, prostheses with radiopaque markers produced the following temperature rises during Magnetic Resonance Imaging performed for 15 minutes of scanning (per pulse sequence) in 1.5 Tesla/64 MHz (Magnetom, Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern PA. Software Numaris/4, Version Syngo MR 2002B DHHS Active-shielded, horizontal field scanner) and 3
Tesla (3 Tesla/128 MHz, Excite, HDx, Software 14X.M5, General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee,
WI) MR systems:
1.5 Tesla 3 Tesla
MR system reported, whole body averaged
SAR .
2.9 W/kg 2.9 W/kg
Calorimetry measured values, whole body
averaged SAR
2.1 W/kg 2.7 W/kg
Highest temperature change +1.7°C +2.0°C
These temperature changes will not pose a hazard to a human subject under the conditions indicated above.
The surgeon didn’t mention that I have to keep track of MRI magnet strength in the future.
Plus a couple of 1" x 6" pieces of Teflon felt from CR Bard.
I’m pleased that the valve is 25 mm. This is the largest size Inspiris valve that is designed for controlled expansion during potential future valve-in-valve procedures. It leaves plenty of room for future TAVR should I survive long enough for the valve flaps to wear out.
I am sure that a 25 mm diameter valve with a 24 mm ascending aorta will take a lot of pressure off my left ventricle and mitral valve.
I can see the valve in my chest X-ray and also the annular rings of the aorta implant.
Today is the third week since my surgery. I did a half hour of Zumba this morning and also cleaned a bathroom and washed my hair. I feel pretty energetic although I did take a short nap this afternoon.
Hey…my husband STILL doesn’t have the energy to clean bathrooms yet so you’re way ahead of the game!! Srsly, though, I don’t think he was quite peppy enough at the same stage to do enough continuous work. He also found that he would suddenly be overtaken by serious fatigue…seemingly out of the blue but probably in response to doing a bit too much (which sometimes seemed to be as minimal as walking up the stairs a bit too quickly) I guess we are complicated a bit by altitude…there was some talk of him coming home on supplemental oxygen since we’re at a few hundred feet higher elevation than the hospital.
What blood thinner are you on…Warfarin or one of the “bans”. We had our visit with the primary care doc yesterday and, since dh’s brush with HALT happened after our last visit, he was giving her an update/tutorial on that. Not much data on long term treatment but, since he has no side effects from Eliquis beyond a lightened wallet, he’s opted to continue.
I am not on any blood thinner (except one baby aspirin per day so far). I specifically excluded mechanical valves because they require a blood thinner.
As a cancer survivor, I think it’s likely that I may need surgery in the future. This rules out a blood thinner.
I have a bovine-based bioprosthetic.
As for cleaning the bathroom…in over 35 years together, DH has never cleaned a toilet. In fact, if he carps a little when I assign him a hubby task (e.g. mowing the lawn, stacking firewood) I say, “When’s the last time you cleaned a toilet?”
I was 57 when I had my surgery to repair a Mitral valve. 3" incision between two ribs so sternum was intact. Still, at 3 weeks I was taking a 20-minute walk at a slow pace and that was about it. I wasn’t even in cardiac hehab at that point!
Not necessarily…and, in fact, your aspirin would be considered a blood thinner to possibly be discontinued in the event of elective/pre planned surgery.
Husband was on Warfarin plus low dose aspirin for 3 months following his bio-Bentall…I assumed it was standard of care for prevention of clot formation on the new (foreign) valves during the immediate healing period, which is going to be when the body’s responses are going to trend towards increased clot formation, if you think about it. For my lapiplasty at the start of the year, for instance, my pre op instructions were to discontinue my low dose Eliquis and aspirin, and any supplements like fish oil, a full 24 hours before and restart the day after.
It’d certainly be a bummer to be on Warfarin for life which seems to be standard for now with mechanical valves(cheap enough medications but all those INR measurements would get wearing). Mind you, it’d be the clicking with a that type of valve, should one be necessary, that would get to me.
Also, with his mercifully well timed discovery of the late forming clot on one valve leaflet… that happened in spite of remaining on the aspirin plus fish oil after discontinuing the Warfarin/higher degree of anticoagulation.
How did you discover the formation of the blood clot? As I move from the post-operative period (yes, still recovering) into longer-term followup I want to know how to detect problems.
Wendy
Well it showed up on his very last CT angiogram/echocardiogram at about the 5 year mark about March /April this year…the one that was set to be his final. Every other (every 6 months starting at 6 months post op) had been perfectly fine but on this, a slight thickening of one of the valve leaflets. No signs or symptoms whatsoever. It was presumed to be a clot and he started on Eliquis and just under 6 months later, it had almost totally resolved.
It was a reminder not to get too complacent because everything is going well…because there’s always a chance it’ll stop (going well) It’s a pain to have to keep going along for hospital appointments and then there’s the radiation involved, etc. Had he not bothered, though…or the cut off had been 4 years follow up and not 5, say…there’s an excellent chance he would’ve joined the numbers of folk whose valve replacement went bad “for no apparent reason”.
