Heart Valve Replacement Procedure Keeps Mick Jagger on a Roll
Cardiovascular Disease, Improving Quality of Life
Mick Jagger
The heart of rock and roll is still beating: Mick Jagger – lead man of the Rolling Stones – has successfully undergone non-invasive heart valve replacement surgery and is recovering in great health.
In fact, the 75-year-old musician expects to return to the tour stage this summer. Just a few years ago, such a quick return would have been unthinkable.
When the Rolling Stones entered the music scene in 1962, non-invasive heart valve replacement surgery didn’t even exist. Patients in Jagger’s position would have had to endure traditional open-heart surgery, requiring anesthesia and putting them at greater risk for infection and other complications.
Today, thanks to rapid advancements in medical technology, doctors have an increasing arsenal of safe and effective procedures to repair and replace heart valves.
One such procedure, the one Mick Jagger’s health care team opted for, allows doctors to insert a heart valve via catheter through a small incision near the groin. The heart valve is then threaded upwards through the body into the heart cavity.
Research shows that this procedure is having an incredible impact on patients of all kinds. They are showing lower rates of death, stroke and rehospitalization versus patients who received traditional surgery. And while the normal recovery time after traditional open-heart surgery is four to eight weeks, patients who receive the non-invasive procedure are typically home after only a few days and can begin low-intensity activity after just two to three weeks.
Mick Jagger’s on-stage antics may not be considered low-intensity, but doctors expect him to be performance-ready in no time. In this case, with the help of innovative medical technology, it turns out the rockstar can get satisfaction.
Jagger posted to Facebook and Twitter, “Thank you everyone for all your messages of support, I’m feeling much better now and on the mend – and also a huge thank you to all the hospital staff for doing a superb job.”