A great passes… and I’m getting knocked out again…

It seems odd, a man whose skills have meant for the last 47 and a bit years I’ve been able to do all of my adventures the only man whose had their hands inside my chest cavity, has died. Marc De Leval was a great, and not just for me… ok, even I’ve not got that much of an ego!!!

Lots has been written and will be written about why he’s a great – the start of paediatric heart transplants in the UK, his 30 years of surgical practice, his work on taking congenital heart surgery around the world… 

But for me, it was his humility… His Autobiography is called “Humanity & Humility: 40 Years in Children's Heart Surgery” and although I have never met Marc (well never in my memory) I have met most of the others on what I consider to be the greatest example of humility in a congenital heart surgeon - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022522394703507 as a surgeon he had a run of cases where children died, and did not brush this off as “bad luck”, but opened himself up to analysis, and retraining – identifying that there are other indicators that could have flagged up issues earlier.  This was back in the 1990s, if all followed his self-aware, humble approach, recognising that the route to better outcomes is data then the world would be a better place for kids and adults with congenital heart disease. 

Which brings us to me… and the latest technology!  Almost exactly a year ago, they knocked me out and tried to stick a valve in via my leg.  It didn’t work, my tubes were too big… Which left me in a bit of a pickle, not ill enough to start contemplating open heart surgery but knowing that’s the route I was heading down.  Then at my check-up my cardiologist mentioned a trial being done of a new type of transcatheter valves and he was happy to get in touch with Leeds to see if I was suitable and met any trial criteria.   

Well, I’ve always said that I don’t want to be the first to do anything, but I could well be in the first 100 to get a Venus-P valve in the UK.  As you’d expect me and Mrs Jiminy have had lengthy discussions with the interventionist, who genuinely seemed to enjoy explaining how this technology works to a pair of professional nerds… A nickel-titanium mesh holds the memory of its shape at STP (standard temperature and pressure), a piggy valve is sewn into it and its kept ready for action.  

When the day comes, it will be chilled down to about freezing, as this allows it to be squished small enough to be put in my leg… then when it gets to the right place, they let it warm up and it expands and all being well holds itself in place.  I’m skipping a stage or two (checking it works for my anatomy, making sure my tubes aren’t still too big, knocking me out… ) but unlike the last go, there’s no stent to go in first… 

The risks should be the same as any other catheter, and yes that doesn’t mean its risk free but it does mean the risks are acceptable to us.  We’ve been given fair warning that although everything looks good to go there’s a 20% chance that when they get in and take the detailed measurements they’ll decide it won’t fit and I’ll be back in the hinterland. 

So, two weeks until we head to Leeds – yup two weeks… So, upping the conscious attempts to avoid covid, and planning for my recovery… Last year it took two weeks for me to be me again and longer for the leg to recover.  So, I have the Lego planned, by the day, as my ability to concentrate improves and also a crafting/cosplay project… Mrs Jiminy got me a Wedges Antilles pilot’s helmet for Xmas… so my project is to turn this natty organe boiler suit into a X-wing flight suit…