Greg Hyde

Name: Greg Hyde

Current Age: 45

Occupation: Bioengineer, Guidant Corporation

 

When  you found out about your condition: My family physician heard a heart murmur when I was 4 years old. That was 1960. The cardiologist at the time delayed my surgery for a year to wait for improvements in oxygenators. The state of the art in oxygenator in 1960 was the Travenol bubble oxygenator. It was basically a large iv bag filled with stainless steel wool. Blood flowed down over the stainless steel wool as oxygen was bubbled up through the stainless steel wool. The surgery finally took place on July 21, 1961 at St Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York.  During the repair of the ASD, the Surgeons found a v-shaped split in one of the leaflets of my mitral valve. They placed a dacron patch over my ASD and repaired the mitral value. By the time I had my first surgery the stainless steel wool had been replaced with a plastic wool.

What symptoms you had: As a child I had no noticeable symptoms.

 

 

How you prepared for surgery: I didn’t, but I will say that I became very active for the rest of my life becoming a highly successful athlete in may sports. Some how I knew it would be the beneficial to the health of my heart.

 

What type of surgery you had: I had an atrial septal defect repaired and a mitral valve leaflet repaired. My mother was told by the doctors that  I would not live beyond my twenties if I did not have the surgery and there was a 50-50 chance of surviving the surgery.

 

Medications before surgery: I don’t remember

 

Medications after surgery: 1 year follow up with penicillin.

 

Hospital where your surgery was done: St Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York

 

Your experience there: Fine but my birthday at the hospital sucked.

 

Your first few days home: Don’t remember them, But my mother restricted my activities for some time.

 

Your recovery since then: I lived a normal life of physical activity. I taught skiing, played rugby in college and have been involved in amateur bicycle racing for 14 years.  I went to college to study Bioengineering and received a BS degree from Syracuse University and an MS from Arizona State University. I have worked for COBE laboratories for four years and ACS / Guidant VI for more than twelve years.  My life was event free until August 2000.

 

SURGERY 2

In August 2000, unknown to me, I experienced my first noticeable symptoms of my mitral valve failing. I overheated on a casual bicycle ride and could not cool down. Now I know that was the first sign of cardiac failure. Two days later, I experience an event where my eyes crossed for two hours. I was taken to the emergency room and evaluate using MRI, Ultrasound, Echocardiogram and CT scan. The doctors were baffled.  The head of Neurology continued to perform tests on me for the next five weeks to attempt to determine the cause of my cross-eyed episode. At this time I also developed a slight tickle in my throat and a cough.  This cough lasted for seven weeks during which time I went to an allergist, believing my cough was due to the high levels of pollution and ozone in Houston during the summer.  The allergist told me I had asthma and allergies and began treating me for that. However everything he had me try to cure the cough did not work. I stop following his treatment when his skin test results differed from my real life experience. October 15, 2000 I had a fever of 102.4 and went to the emergency room. I was told I had Gastroenteritis and was told to see my primary care physician as soon as possible. I saw my primary care physician two days later and he prescribed an antibiotic for me to take for five days. This antibiotic did not break the fever.  A week later he scheduled an echocardiogram for me because the fever had continued. During this time I would have night sweats that would soak my bed. The fever would rise and fall between 99 and 102 depending on whether I took Tylenol or not. On October 30th, the fifteenth day of my fever, I went in for the echocardiogram. My normal heart sounds since my first surgery were “lub swish dub”. Before the echocardiogram I listened to my heart and heard “ swish swish swish”.  I knew the sounds I heard meant I needed surgery. When the technician imaged my mitral valve I blurted out “ that valve is blown!”.

 I was immediately admitted to the hospital. I am very thankful that I have had a career at Guidant because I knew an excellent cardiologist, Dr. Albert Raizner, who has worked with Guidant to develop the product we are currently manufacturing in Houston. He recommended a surgeon, Dr. Jimmy Howell, who was just great. Coincidentally, he may have been involved in my cousin’s surgery in the late 1960’s to repair her transposition of the great vessels.   I was very please to know I was going to receive a St. Jude valve. I have a friend who worked at Shiley and was a great source of information. I also spoke with Dr. Jim Thomas at the Cleveland Clinic about synthetic and porcine valves.  The information from these sources gave me comfort that the St. Jude valve was the right solution for me.

What type of surgery you had: Valve replacement

Medications before surgery: intravenous Gentomycin & amoxicillin

 

Medications after surgery: intravenous Gentomycin & amoxicillin, 11.5 Mg coumadin

 

Type of valve you have: 29mm St Jude Mitral valve. Serial Number 80954134 Model 29MJ-501

 

Hospital where your surgery was done: Methodist Hospital, Houston Texas

 

Your experience there: The surgery went well and my recovery was amazing. Two days out of surgery they had me standing and walking to the bathroom. I was released from the hospital eight days after surgery and began walking everywhere with my two dogs. My experience was wonderful. I was treated like family.

Your first few days home: I had my surgery on Nov. 2, Nov 4th I was standing and going to the bathroom in a private room. The next day I started walking. My hct was 26 and my Hb was 7.  I walk a mile by the fifth day after surgery. Eight days after my surgery my Hct and Hb high enough to be released to go home. . I was released from the hospital and began walking everywhere with my two dogs. Two weeks after returning home I started to ride my mountain bike. A week later I started riding my bike with both dogs running along side. I rode to my follow-up visits to my cardiologist.  I started hill climbing and a few sprints just after Christmas 2000. 

By the following January I was riding as many as 70 miles in one day.  By February I was snow boarding again.

 

Your recovery since then: So far I have notice I need to warm up more before strenuous activity. I have peaked my heart rate  a couple of time at 192 beats/min.My INR has been very consistent since  my doctor and I agreed on my dosing. I take 11.5mg/day at 9pm PST and I have my INR checked between 5:30 and 6:00 pm PST. I do not eat green leafy vegetable. My INR has been very constant in the range of 2.9-3.5. I am interested in the new Lifescan home test system. Testing of this device was Just reported at the American College of Cardiology conference in March, how ever Lifescan is not selling it yet and says it will be available soon. I am also following testing of AstraZenecor’s new anticoagulant. This drug is exciting because it work down stream from Vitamin K and Coumadin in the clotting cascade. It would remove the Vitamin K restrictions for those on Coumadin. It has been tested  for preventing thrombus in Knee replacement patients and I have heard from my Cardiologist that it will be studied at Stanford hospital for stroke prevention.