"My family learned about
the Heatherwood lifestyle...
fleaMi Beet
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New Valve Lets Patient
Enjoy Normal Life
MARSHALL FRANKLIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
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•
...and now I'm li
it!"
"I haven't had this much fun in years! I've met new friends. I'm involved
in activities. I'm happy — and so is my family. Before, housekeeping was a
chore, cooking for myself wasn't fun and I didn't feel secure living alone.
Now, my family has peace of mind...and I'm having the time of my life!"
Monthly rent includes:
• Cable television available
•Kitchen with electric appliances
• 24-hour emergency-alert system
• Putting green, walking and biking trails
• Library, game and card rooms
• Beauty and barber shop
•Evening meals served in our elegant
Rosewood Dining Room(lunch optional)
•Weekly housekeeping
•Scheduled local transportation
• Individually controlled heat & air conditioning
.
1-6ATHERWOOD_
22800 Civic Center Drive
■ Southfield, MI 48034
Tifilif 11 'Cr, * C-=
' IN
(810) 3504770Am
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IP , "
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-
hen I first met Earl he
was 45 years old and
had had an artificial
heart valve for six
years. He was born with an aor-
tic valve that didn't open nor-
mally, something called "aortic
stenosis."
He lived with it for 38 years by
limiting his physical activity. He
had played a little baseball in
college and enjoyed playing golf
once he had joined the work-
force as an assistant manager
in a supermarket.
In his mid-30s he noticed his
activity tolerance starting to de-
crease. He experienced a faint-
ing spell when he was 38, a
high-risk symptom in patients
with aortic stenosis, but refused
heart surgery when his doctors
recommended it. He hoped he
could avoid surgery by taking
vitamins and becoming a vege-
tarian.
When he fainted again, sev-
en months later, and recognized
he wasn't getting any better, he
agreed to the surgery. In his
conversation with me and his
heart surgeon, we reviewed var-
ious types of heart valves.
The oldest types of valves are
mechanical, made of metal and
tlastic. They have been proven
to last longer than any other
type of artificial heart valve but
also have the longest list of com-
plications and precautions. Me-
chanical valves have a tendency
to form clots on them that can
break off in small pieces called
emboli. These can travel in the
circulation and lodge in the
brain to cause a stroke, in a
coronary artery to cause a heart
attack, or in other organs or the
extremities to cause problems
wherever they lodge.
In order to protect against this,
anticoagulants are prescribed
to keep clots from forming. An-
ticoagulants are among some of
the most dangerous medicines
doctors prescribe. In order to
avoid overanticoagulation and
the dangerous bleeding it might
cause, frequent blood tests are
needed to make sure the med-
ication is effective without be-
ing dangerous to the patient.
Earl was not happy with the
prospect of having to take an-
ticoagulants for the rest of his
life.
We reviewed bioprosthetic
valves. These are made from an-
imal tissue, usually pig heart
valves, sacrificed at slaughter
Dr. Marshall Franklin is a San
Diego-based cardiologist.
and thoroughly treated so that
no rejection reaction will take
place. Pig valves in the aortic
position do not require antico-
agulants, as blood clots are un-
common. However, in younger
patients, pig valves have a ten-
dency to degenerate and may
need to be surgically replaced
after five to 10 years.
The other bioprosthetic valve
available is a human valve, do-
nated after death and surgical-
ly removed and treated to be
nonrejectable. This valve is of-
ten applied, with its attached
aorta, for those patients who
have involvement of the aorta
in addition to the aortic valve it-
self When Earl had his problem
there was not enough long-term
experience with the human
valve to supply him with a long-
term outlook for the human bio-
prosthesis.
Mechanical
valves have a
tendency to form
clots.
All prosthetic valves are prone
to infection and require antibi-
otic protection for dental proce-
dures and all illnesses or
situations that release germs
into the bloodstream that could
injure the valve. Your doctor
knows these situations and can
help protect patients who need
antibiotic coverage.
Earl considered his options
and chose to have a pig valve in-
serted. His operation went beau-
tifully, and he had an excellent
result. He told me he never re-
alized how limited he was and
how tired he always was until
he had his valve replaced. In-
deed, this is a common state-
ment we hear from patients who
have chronic heart conditions,
particularly those who have
been affected from birth. They
have never known what normal
activity tolerance is until after
their condition is corrected.
Now Earl was back with his
prior symptoms, which he now
recognized before fainting or be-
coming incapacitated. He does
not need another aortic valve re-
placement yet, but he will with-
in the foreseeable future. At that
time his doctors will review the
types of valves available. ❑