Thomas Farmer
Patient
After being diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition, Thomas Farmer had a quick and painless procedure known as TAVI. According to him, the results have been nothing short of ‘incredible.’
Farmer says he found out about his heart problem by accident. It happened around two years ago when he visited A&E after a fall, and an examination picked up a heart murmur. “I was given an echocardiogram,” remembers Farmer, now 77.
Aortic stenosis diagnosis
After being referred to a cardiologist at Royal Stoke University Hospital for more tests, his aortic valve was shown to be severely calcified. This is known as aortic stenosis, which can restrict the flow of blood through the heart. Survival rates are low if untreated.
A common symptom of aortic stenosis is shortness of breath on exertion. Farmer, a retired builder, had spent his working life climbing up and down scaffolding without a second thought — but recently he’d been getting out of breath walking up stairs. Now, it was clear why. “I hadn’t heard of the condition before,” he says. “But I’m fairly laid back, so my question to the cardiologist was: ‘What shall we do now?’”
After the TAVI procedure, he was given
a check over, and the consultant
discharged him that afternoon.
The benefits of a TAVI procedure
There were two options. Farmer could have open heart surgery to replace the valve or a procedure called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). While open heart surgery is a major operation, TAVI is much less invasive and involves the insertion of a new replacement valve into the heart using a small tube via the main blood vessel in the top of the leg. “It was suggested that TAVI would be the best, simplest option,” says Farmer. “When an expert tells me what’s best, I take their advice.”
Farmer was awake throughout the procedure, which took around 90 minutes. “It was incredible,” he says. “I was listening to the surgeons talking about what they were doing and found it fascinating. I felt no pain whatsoever.” He’s also full of praise for the staff at Royal Stoke. “They were all fantastic, from the porters to the assessment nurses to the surgeons,” he says.
Recovery and life after a TAVI
After the TAVI procedure, he was given a check over, and the consultant discharged him that afternoon. Recuperation at home took a further 24 hours. Farmer has now planned a holiday with his partner. “I feel fine,” he says. “We had to cancel one holiday because of the operation, so we’ve rebooked, and we’re going to Tenerife. My advice to anyone in a similar situation is: ‘Go for it. Have TAVI.’”
