Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

Hi, My Name is Koletan Crosby. I am a Marfans and Heart Patient. I am 18 years old. I am 6ft 10in tall and will continue to grow till about the age of 25, i grow about 3 to 4 inches a year. I have Marfans syndrome, my lower aorta is borderline aneurism and will need to be replaced in the coming future, i have lowe blood pressure and a mytric valve prolapse.

When I stand up my vision will go black and i will either just get light headed or I will lose function in my legs and fall to the ground. I get frequent migraine headaches. I am unable to work due to this condition. I am also not allowed to lift anything over 25lbs.

The surgery and its costs:

Heart valve replacement involves replacing a diseased valve in the heart -- most commonly, the aortic valve -- with a new valve taken either from another part of the patient's heart, or made from human or animal tissue, or man-made materials. Risks include reaction to anesthesia, infection, bleeding, blood clots, stroke, heart attack and death.

Typical costs:

For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket costs typically consist of doctor visit copays, prescription drug copays and coinsurance of 10%-50% or more, which probably would reach the yearly out-of-pocket maximum. Valve replacement surgery typically is covered by health insurance.
For patients not covered by health insurance, valve replacement surgery typically costs from about $80,000-$200,000 or more with an average, according to an American Heart Association report, of $164,238, not including the doctor fee. A surgeon fee can add $5,000 or more to the final bill. For example, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire charges about $86,500, including doctor fee, after a 30% uninsured discount. St. Mary's Hospital in Wisconsin charges an average of $107,000, but costs can reach $200,000 or more. And Baptist Memorial Health Care charges about $75,000-$140,000, not including doctor fee, but cost can go up to more than $200,000 with major complications.
According to a study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, complications occurred about 35%of the time and caused significantly longer hospital stays and increased charges. Complications of aortic valve replacement or mitral valve replacement range from infection to heart or lung problems such as irregular heart rhythms, heart attack or heart failure or pneumonia.