Sternum or Rib entry for Valve replacement? Experiences please
Hi. I am a 62m with bicuspid valve and severe AS. Some time ago I was trying to figure out watchful waiting then SAVR or TAVR. Here's my post about that
https://www.reddit.com/r/valvereplacement/s/otGWqeTlPP
However my latest echocardiogram pushed me from Severe to Very Severe. My knee surgery was cancelled and I am being lined up for SAVR via mini sternotomy at UCSF.
I am though looking into a bunch of alternatives including a clinical trial at Cedars Sinai looking at TAVRs in younger bicuspid patients, and a new minally invasive trans cervical robot approach at Cleveland Clinic.
What I have NOT been offered is RAMT (right anterior mini-thoracotomy) which is the version going in via the ribs. However there is a surgeon at UCSF who specializes in this (I was allocated my current surgeon by my cardiologist at UCSF).
I'm obviously going to investigate that but I have also heard that the recovery is not great either. Incidentally I broke a rib 4 years ago and it took about a year to stop hurting! Not sure how much the RAMT compares! So can anyone who's had that please let me know what it was like? Thanks