I am a 73 yr. old woman diagnosed about 5 yrs. ago with Aortic Stenosis. Last week my cardio said it was time for my replacement. He said because I was still "young" and in good health (walk 3 miles a day) that I should go for the traditional (open sternum) procedure. He also suggested I do it locally but decided to find the best doc and hospital available and am planning on making an appointment at Mayo. I live in OR, so logistics are complicated, but still think getting the best is worth it. And after doing all my research, it is so comforting to have finally made a decision. Good luck to all those going through the research process now. Sometimes I think it is probably more anxiety producing that the actual operation :).