mitral valve replaced in march 2001-sutures now given away !!

[makshu98]

hi,

My father had a regurgitation in his mitral valve last year .subsequently he had a MVR ( a prosthetic one)+ a bypass march 2001.He was perfectly fine till around august when he had a case of fluid retention & had to be admitted in hospital to flush out his fluid.

now a new problem seems to have cropped up. The docs got to know from his echocardiogram that a few sutures on one side of his prosthetic valve have given way which has brought the regurgitation problem back again.

Due to this they say that his fluid retention is still there. he's feeling a pressure near his lung when he walks for 100- 150 ft. otherwise he's feeling ok. they have said that a corrective surgery needs to be done.

what I would like to know is

1. is this sutures giving away normal/happened before (I mean statistics wise)?

2.does this corrective surgery involve any risk?

3.is there an alternative for this other than corrective surgery?

4 once you know that your sutures have given away, within what timeframe is it preferable to do the corrective surgery?


any leads would be appreciated..

thanks a ton...

 

[Nancy]

Hi Makshu98, Welcome

Hi Makshu98, Welcome

First let me welcome you to this site. It's a wonderful source of information and comfort. Everyone here understands and can add support for you during this troubling time in your life.

My husband Joe just had a repair on his mitral valve (St. Jude mechanical) in July of 2001. This valve was implanted in 1999. There was a small leak around the valve, but this small leak caused an enormous amount problems, particularly Congestive Heart Failure. The reasons why the leak happened could be any number of things, inappropriate healing at the site, or it could have happened when he had several faints causing him to fall with great concussion, (tearing the sutures away). These faints were from afib, and happened closely after the original implantation of the mitral valve.

It is not a normal occurrence to have a leak appear after valve replacement, but it does happen every once and a while. Some leaks can go on for a long time in the mild-moderate range with few problems, others can be handled with medications and some need surgical repair. The decision to do the repair can only be determined by your cardiologist with diagnostic testing. There is no actual time framework as such, rather the results of the tests will lead in that direction.

Joe also has an aortic valve replacement which is 25 years old, so the repair was his 3rd open heart procedure.

Your surgeon can give you an estimate of the risk factors for this surgery. Bear in mind that every surgery, even if it isn't open heart carries some risk. The question becomes, what is the risk if this isn't done.

Hope this helps. And come to the site often, we're all friendly and love to answer questions.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Makshu,

Welcome to site. I am so glad that you read my message on WebMD and found your way here.

The folks here will surely provide some input to your questions and concerns. I hope you visit us often and ask any questions that you have. We care, and want to help.

Rob

 

[makshu98]

thanks a ton Nancy !

thanks a ton Nancy !

hi Nancy,

thanks a lot for all those encouraging words in addtition to all the info you ahve given me..

Yes. the surgeon has given us an indication that this could be a high risk operation ( ofcourse this is in comparison to the level of risk he had quoted with respect to the bypass which he underwent )

All roads are pointing towards surgery as of this min. So we're hoping for the best to happen & praying with all the strength we have


thanks a ton again for your reply.... it's just that when you aren't in the medical line, you are so scared/confused as to what they mean when tell you something as serious as this !

your explanations have cleared quite a bit for me & my family..


I shall keep you updated..

makshu.

 

[makshu98]

thanks rob!

thanks rob!

rob,

thanks a lot for suggesting this site to me.. After Nancy's reply I already do feel a lot better...

am expecting more leads very soon.....

thanks again,
makshu

 

[Nancy]

Hi Makshu-

What was told to my husband prior to his repair was that the risk was in the 10% category. That is 90% positive. Bear in mind that this was Joe's 3rd open heart surgery and he was quite ill before having the repair. He's also had 2 lung surgeries which were serious in their own right, plus he has a pacemaker.

A lot depends on how many surgeries have been done on the patient because scar tissue and adhesions can be very troublesome. It also depends on the condition of the heart and the general health of the patient, that's why the surgeon is the one to ask that question of.

In all percentage quotes, there are included many people who would have an unfavorable outcome no matter what, because they are so sick. So if someone tells you a percentage which is average for this procedure, please remember this.

Your cardiologist will let you know if he/she can control your father's symptoms sufficiently well so that he can live a fairly normal life. In addition to the test results, the patient's symptoms bear a lot of weight. In my husband's case, his leak was characterized (after a TEE) as mild to moderate, but his symptoms were very serious and life-threatening. It's a balancing act and there is a lot of science involved.

When the benefit of surgery outweighs the risk of the surgery, the time will be right.

Best wishes to you and your father.

 

[makshu98]

thanks nancy ,

I shall definitely bear this in mind...


makshu