I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm when I was 36 and already knew about my bicuspid aortic heart valve. We did tons of research on facilities, hospitals, doctors, actual surgeries performed, statistics of everything, etc. My doctors originally wanted to place the competitor valve with sleeve. But through our research, we were really impressed…

I am doing well since my complex heart valve and dissected aneurysm surgery. My 1st annual checkup was last August, and everything looked real good. It was a very long surgery,(wife said I was in the OR for 13 hrs) and took 30 days in the hospital. The surgeon replaced my previous mechanical heart valve…

Having been a congenital aortic valve patient for the entirety of my life, I knew there was not a perfect fix for my heart valve. However, after much research and assistance from my parents – one of which has a MSN in cardiology – we decided upon the On-X heart valve for its longevity and…

Before surgery I was having difficulty breathing even while sitting down. I was experiencing chest pain almost on a daily basis with and without exertion. Now six months post op I rarely experience any shortness of breath and just recently ran the fastest mile I’ve ever ran in my life. The clicking of the heart…

In Japan, a 74-year-old gentleman who is a children’s artist began to feel short of breath in 2003—this is his story as translated by Professor Ono. Medical tests revealed severe aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation as well as mitral valve stenosis and atrial fibrillation. Why the patient decided to have mechanical over tissue and why…

I am a retired Engineer (Bsc,Msc,C.Eng) and I live in Europe. When I heard in 2005 at 66 years old that my aortic heart valve had to be replaced because of calcification, I decided to find out which manufactured heart valve would be the right replacement for me taking into account that the end of…

My experience of heart valve surgery is that I can’t believe what my body went through. I was non-symptomatic except for a heart murmur that got louder during the 12 month period between physicals. I was experiencing mitral valve regurgitation at an elevated level, but yet didn’t feel my energy level, endurance, activity level, or…

I’ve been active pretty much all my adult life. I especially enjoy bike riding. Even in my cold climate I manage to ride year-round to some degree. I often do centuries and also race my mountain bike. Last fall 6 weeks after a 100 miler and 2 weeks after a 15 mile mountain bike race,…

Congratulations to Minoru for completing his first marathon after receiving an On-X Heart Valve! He competed in the Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon and completed it with a time of 4 hours and 57 minutes on the 15th of April, 2012, with an average heart rate of 145 beats per minute. We are delighted to hear…

I was born with BAV and had it fixed with an On-X heart valve (hopefully for life). I am a competitive, drug free, powerlifter and hold a 2011 deadlift record in the US in 100% RAW in my weight and age class. It has been 10 weeks post surgery and I am already back to…