Comments on: Afraid of Open Heart Surgery? New Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery Procedure for People with Severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation

By: Norm

Norm — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:03:24 +0000

My aortic valve was replaced 4/08 by minimally-invasive surgery at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, MO.

By: Dave Rooker

Dave Rooker — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:13:45 +0000

is this mitral valve clip proceedure available in Iowa or nebraska ???

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:24:17 +0000

Daddio – I’m sorry it took me a bit of time to do the research.

Yes there also is a minimally invasive technique for replacing the aortic valve. It is also done at the Cleveland Clinic.

You can check on the Clinic’s web site for information about the procedure as well as excellent general information about aortic valve problems.

There may be other medical centers that use the same technique. I just know that CC has done more of this type of heart operation than any place else.

By: Daddio

Daddio — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:22:06 +0000

Is this procedure available for the aortic valve as well ?

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:22:16 +0000

Five years ago I had a complete mitral valve replacement done at Cleveland Clinic. It was a mimimally invasive open-heart procedure. My condition did not qualify for this described proceedure.

What I’ve learned from this description and my experience is that medical science has come a long way in ability.

If anyone is avoiding such surgery, as I did for at least five years, go for it! If you go to an experienced facility you will be just fine. My delay cost me years of godd quality of life…something I now again have.

By: R. Peabody

R. Peabody — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:16:50 +0000

i’ve had Mitral Valve Prolapse for 35 years ‘diagnosed” and it’s been very difficult to manage to have anywhere near a normal life. Have seen many cardiologists and a combination of Lopressor and procanimide was able to control it almost completely for 8 years, and then a new HMO decided I didn’t need the procanimide and I was back having attacks again and have been for 15 years rendering me disabled to work. Recently I was moved to another HMO and they have a whole new approach, the call it a “premise”, whereas they decide to say I don’t have MVP, but ad Fibs, and thus they don’t have to do anything about it whatsoever! They have tons of ways around treating a person for their health problems.
Stanford Cardiology Hospital in Menlo Park, California is just an excellent place to have your Mitral Valve taken care of and they are up on all the latest ways to handle it, so I recommend them highly. Please go there ONLINE and check out thier procedures for MVP. See if you can get a referral there or call and make an appointment and go there and see them. Also the Mayo, and the Cleveland Clinic. All of these are wonderful places to go. I wish you well, and hope you can get coverage, but just to have a normal life, it’s worth the money if you can find anyway at all to get the money to have it done. God Bless you!

By: John

John — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:48:57 +0000

I have mitral valve degeneration and was born with only two valves instead of three….will this surgery work for me and would it be covered under health reform because right now I have been uninsured since a heart attack in ‘96….

By: ruth foster

ruth foster — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:23:10 +0000

Is one of the 38 centers located near Florida?