DaVinci? or Traditional Surgery?

Today we met with Dr. K, the man who will operate on dad's heart. Today definitely tested our patience! Our appointment was for 2:00, we did not see the doctor until 4:00 p.m.

All that being said, here is the update:

• Dad's Mitral Valve has severe leakage.
• Even though there is severe leakage, dad does not exhibit any of the typical symptoms associated with having a ruptured valve. This leaves us with two options:
• 1. Hold off on getting surgery until the heart weakens and dad starts to exhibit symptoms; or
• 2. Have the surgery soon to repair the valve (we went with option #2).
• The goal of the surgery is to repair the heart valve. Once the doctor is in and operating, if he is unable to repair the valve, he will have to replace the valve. We need to decide which valve replacement we would want BEFORE the surgery. There are two types of valve used in valve replacements:
• 1. Graphite Valve
• Pro's - It would never have to be replaced again, he would have it forever.
• Con's - Dad would have to be on heavy blood thinners the rest of his life. He would have to get blood work done every few months. He would run the risk of getting blood clots that could travel to his brain. If he was cut he could run the risk of bleeding too much if his blood didn't clot.
• 2. Pig/Cow Valve
• Pro's - Dad would be on an Aspirin regimen and that is it. He wouldn't need blood work done all the time, etc.
• Con's - These valve replacements only last on average 12 years (this means it would need to be replaced in 8 or 15 years). 
• DaVinci vs. Traditional Surgery
• Dad will be going to Saint Joseph on April 26th to have a CT scan done of his pelvic area, abdomen and chest. If everything looks clear, then dad will be approved to have the less invasive DaVinci surgery. 
• DaVinci Robotic Surgery (This is the surgery we are hoping for):
• The surgery will last all day.
• The risk of dad dieing on the table is the same as the traditional surgery.
• Dad will still be put on a heart/lung machine. The heart and lung machine will be inserted the same way a heart catheter is (in the groin area).
• The robotic arms will be inserted in 4 different spots between the ribs (so no bones would have to be broken)
• Recovery time is DRAMATICALLY shorter than with the traditional surgery.
• Traditional Surgery:
• Dad gets his rib cage cut open
• Recovery time is generally 6-9 months
• Regardless of the type of surgery dad has, it can be expected that he will be in the ICU for 24 hours after surgery; he will then be downgraded to a general hospital room for 5-7 days before being released to go home. 

On May 1st we will meet with the surgeon to find out which surgery dad will receive. Dad's surgery will most likely be in the first week or two of May. Dr. K's office will call us with a date. 

Something else that needs to be considered before jumping into surgery is the state of dad's brain recovery. The surgery is going to be hard on the brain. Dr. K, suggested that the surgery not be done until we are certain that dad has fully recovered.  Before the surgery, Dr. S. (dad's brain doctor) is going to do a lot of neurological tests on dad's brain (12 hours of testing total). This will tell us exactly where dad's brain is at. Dr. K. wants the testing on his brain to be complete before the surgery. The date has not been set for dad's day of neurological testing, but I will let everyone know as soon as I know. 

I hope that this answers all of your questions about how dad is doing.

Things to be praying about:

1. That dad will be cleared to have the less invasive surgery.
2. That dad will be able to do well on his Neurological Testing
3. The surgery will go well, there will be no complications, and that Dr. K will be able to repair the heart valve instead of having to replace it.