Questions I should know the answer to

[tomtom]

1. Does the very fact of having an AVR make clotting more likely to happen?

2. Which is the more "serious" surgery? AVR or bypass?

Please excuse my ignorance. We Brits ask fewer questions of our medical people than you guys!

 

[Ross]

AVR isn't more likely to make clots happen. It's more of an individuals blood clotting make up, however, the leaflets on the valve are predisposed to having clots form on them which is why you would take coumadin to hopefully keep that from happening. Man made material isn't quite like our own bodies.

Which is more serious?

Neither is a picnic and I'm sure that one is just as dangerous as the other. I would think that bypass would be harder to do and probably more complicated. That's my opinion anyhow. I'll let the bypassers answer this one.

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Tom - I am a quad bypasser and I can't answer your question, either. I just know that both are majorly serious and wish I was not in either category. If you really want to get some answers I can suggest a site where there is a REAL cardio who will answer questions for you - personally. Go to the below site and check in, ask Dr Rich - he's very good, is a noted EP, author, educator, speaker and he ain't sellin nothin - just there to help. When I want the real information that is where I go to find it, since the members here in VR are sufferers, not doctors. I found him about the same day I found VR and have stuck with both sites - nearly 3 yrs.

http://forums.about.com/ab-heartdisease/messages?&redirCnt=1

 

[terry40]

Tomtom

Tomtom

In my eyes the 2 surgeries are about the same, pre-surgery, my 1 source of info was a quad bypass patient, he helped me a great deal and answer many of my personal questions.

We all heal at our own pace and some have problems with meds, scars, sore muscles, depression etc,... but we get over it as we see here, by the many who are farther down the road in the healing process.


Take care,

Terry40

 

[Bill Hall]

Tom - I have a homograft in the Aortic position and the cardio told me to take an aspirin per day. He said that having someone elses valve in me increases the probability of clotting.

 

[Kevin M]

We are at a higher risk of clotting whenever there is foreign material inside us.

In the case of mechanical valves or dacron grafts, etc. our blood collects around the material and will clot around it as a defense mechanism.

Coumadin is usually used to make the blood thinner and keep it from clotting.

Biological valves are less suceptable to this, however, depending on specifics, sometimes low dose ASA (aspirin) is perscribed.

Post surgery, the doc's will often start us all off on Coumadin or other blood thinners.

Sorry, I don't know anything about bypass.
Kev