Question about Warfarin (coumadin)

[lyonsm]

My mother had a St. Jude Aortic Valve replacement in July of 2009. She has been having problems with skipping and extra beats and some other problems, so she went to see another cardiologist. He said that he might take her off of Warfarin and stay with baby aspirin daily. She is 51 and I have been told that Warfarin is necessary for life to prevent clotting. Has anyone heard of a prosthetic aortic valve that doesn't need the person to be on Warfarin? If you could provide any insights I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Julian]

Wow, I would consult a few cardiologists before stopping the warfarin. There are reports of people getting clots with the St. Jude within 3 days of stopping warfarin and reports of people going 23 years without warfarin with St. Jude mechanical valves. You don't want your mom to be a test pilot. The only valve that is showing promise for low warfarin is the On-X valve. As far as I know even with the On-X they are not doing any "official" testing with baby aspirin only, just plavix and aspirin and low dose warfarin. Yes even with the mighty On-X there is still a serious danger of clotting.

 

[kailin]

yes, I agree with Julian. I did ask Dr Donato Sisto, my surgeon here about On-X and warfarin and for my age he was very clear he would use warfarin with it. For everyone.
Kailin

 

[Chris M]

I concur with the other respondents here. Mechanical valves definitely require a person to be on Warfarin otherwise you risk clots and having a stroke - the latter can be fatal and your Mom is way too young to take this sort of risk.

My advice would be to get another opinion or two. I'm sure the rhythm issues can be handled in a number of different ways, either by medication or by other minor medical procedure/s.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

My mother had a St. Jude Aortic Valve replacement in July of 2009. She has been having problems with skipping and extra beats and some other problems, so she went to see another cardiologist. He said that he might take her off of Warfarin and stay with baby aspirin daily. She is 51 and I have been told that Warfarin is necessary for life to prevent clotting. Has anyone heard of a prosthetic aortic valve that doesn't need the person to be on Warfarin? If you could provide any insights I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

You (and your mother) need to Know if her St. Jude Valve is Tissue or Mechanical.

IF it is a mechanical valve, the Standard of Care requires Lifetime AntiCoagulation Treatment with Coumadin / Warfarin.

Most Good Cardiologists should be able to treat her arrhythmias as a separate issue, typically with medication to control her Heart Rate or even prevent the arrhythmias completely. There is a sub-specialty in Cardiology called ElectroPhysiology that deals with the electrical functions of the heart.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Rocky]

A great deal of caution should be exercised here. My valve is a St Jude Mechanical and I am on Warfarin for ever.

Surgery was six months ago and it was text book.

BUT.

My dosage was mishandled from the get go ( to low a dosage ) and I ended up having two Mini-strokes. I spent three days in the hospital on the second one. Although they dont know for sure, they think the blood was to thick and it had a few small clots form on the valve and they broke off.

I am no longer being handled by the anti coagulation unit. My family doctor is monitoring me weekly to make sure we stay on track. I have been therapeutic ( within the guidelines of an INR between 2.5 to 3.5 ) now for four weeks.

I take a daily dosage of 12 now, and it seems to stay in the 3.5 area.