Heart Health

heart valve surgery

Read and learn more about heart valve surgery. For more, visit the MyHeartyHeath.com website.

Q: How soon can you drink regular coffee after having Heart Valve Surgery?
My mom’s a coffee-holic. I know she shouldn’t , but inevitable she will want her cup of coffee. She had Heart Valve surgery 6 days ago. Does anyone know the minimum number of days you should wait before having that much caffinee?

Thanks

A: Hey… my dad is in the hospital right now after heart valve surgery…Complications so it’s been 12 days Anyway, if she insists on having her cup of coffee make sure it’s decaf. Can you call her doc and ask? He/she should have given you a list of do’s and don’ts. Best of luck to her and hope she’s better than ever real soon!

Q: Does anyone know much about enlarged heart and heart valve surgery?
My brother is 32 years old.He has an enlarged heart ,a murmur,high blood pressure and heart regurgitation.
He may be having the valve replacement surgery.
I was wondering if anyone has had these things wrong with them and had the valve surgery and did well afterwards.

Any information would be very much appreciated.

A: Which valve is getting replaced (there are 4 in the heart)? Will he be getting a man made one (which will require life long blood thinners but are also very durable) or a pig valve (no need for blood thinners but won’t last as long) ?

Many people get valve replacements and it makes them feel wonderful afterwards…. make sure you find out about exactly the surgery he’s having so you know… but I’m sure he’ll be fine.

Q: Has there been any news about Robin Williams since he had his heart valve surgery?
I’m curious because in the next few years, I will probably need to have heart valve surgery, too.
Johnny! See if I ever give you that $2 now!

A: Robin Williams’ heart surgery “went extremely well” and he is expected to make a full recovery in eight weeks, according to his surgeon.

Williams’ publicist quoted the surgeon in a news release Monday that revealed the procedure was done on March 13 at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“His heart is strong and he will have normal heart function in the coming weeks with no limitations on what he’ll be able to do,” said Dr. Marc Gillinov, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. “A couple of hours after surgery, he was entertaining the medical team and making us all laugh.”

The 57-year-old comedian postponed his one-man-show tour and entered a Miami, Florida, hospital for testing earlier this month after suffering shortness of breath.

Doctors then told Williams he needed an aortic valve replacement, his publicist said.

Williams is expected to resume his 80-city “Weapons of Self-Destruction” tour in the fall, the publicist said.

Additionally, after successful aortic or mitral valve replacement, patients can expect to return to their preoperative condition or better. Anticoagulation (“blood thinners”) with a drug like Coumadin may be prescribed for 6 weeks to 3 months after surgery for those with biological valves, and for life for those with mechanical valves. Once the wounds have healed, most patients should experience few if any restrictions to activity.

I wish you the best.

Q: how often do people die from heart valve surgery?
so my boyfriend jus found out today that his valves isnt working…like the blood tries to go thru but it cant…

he has to get surgery…and i want to kno…is this a simple procedure or is it sumthing where there is a GREAT risk where he can die. I kno that all heart surgeys are very dangerous..but is this simple?

A: Its a big surgery but most of us do very well…sounds as if your bf is fairly young so his chances are very good for an excellent recovery and will likely lead a normal happy health long life…

have a look at this site for lots of great info

http://www.valvereplacement.com/

I had my Aortic valve replaced 3 years ago and I am as good as new now…it was nowhere near as awful as I tought it was going to be…

Q: Can I get a tattoo even after having an artificial heart valve surgery and take coumidin? (blood thinner)?
I have always wanted a tattoo but may have missed the boat I am 29 and had open heart surgery 2 years ago and have to be on blood thinners forever Anyone out there say its ok or am I amoron for thinking about it!?
maybe i could find some one to airbrush a tattoo on me with some highly permanant paint ha ha it isnt looking good so far!

A: Sorry you had to have the surgery. I have had surgeries before, and that whole coumidin thing afterwards really annoyed me.

I doubt your doctor will give you much of an answer– they are all p*ssies these days that worry about getting sued. Probably best to test out a small small area of tattooing and see how it goes.

Q: What is the life expectancy for the elderly who have heart valve surgery?
Barbara Walters is going to be 81 this year. How much time do you think she is buying? Many boomers may have to face this type of surgery in the future.

A: It is probably just the mitral valve which I have had since having rheumatic fever as a child. My sister had bypass surgery at 83, and she is still driving and getting around like a teenager. It depends on whether one of the valves becomes blocked again. My sister’s did become blocked and they ended up putting stents in a couple of them. Mitral valve surgery is not that bad.

Q: How long is heart valve surgery?
And how long does it take the patient to wake up after the surgery?

A: 4 to 5 hours. I had to have part of my aorta replaced as well, but I believe it was still complete in 5 hours. I think the time they wake up may vary a little more depending on the person and how the anesthesia affects them. I remember waking up, but do not know what time it was. It felt more like the middle of the night to me, which would have been 6 or 7 hours, but I really can’t say for sure. They moved me out of intensive care to a regular room the next morning and I left the hospital in 7 days, though if they would have gotten my blood thinner medication level correct sooner I would have left in 5 days.

Q: How long does it take to recover from Aortic heart valve surgery ?
Is slow and painful ?
How does it work !
are you at bed rest for awhile ?

A: This varies from person to person. I just had surgery on March 25, 2008. It is somewhat slow. Painful varies from person to person as well.

I had my surgery around noon on Tuesday, according to the doctors The surgery was about 4 or 5 hours. I was completely out during that time. I woke up in the middle of the night, not real sure because I was still out of it a little. Wednesday around mid-day they got me in a wheel chair and took me from ICU to my recovery room at which point they made me walk myself with a little help from the chair to the bed. They get you moving as soon as possible. I ended up being in the hospital until the following Tuesday, but that was because my blood thinner medication dose wasn’t correct yet, otherwise they would have let me go on Saturday.

I didn’t feel real bad pain after the surgery. The incision has never really bothered me but I did have pain in my shoulders and neck which is from them spreading the breastbone apart. The use of pain medications help that. They get you walking a little bit every day in the hospital.

Once you are released you should be some where you have someone to help you. You will be on restrictions of not lifting more than 10 pounds and you won’t be able to drive for a little bit. I found I needed help getting my shirts on and off at first and also my socks and shoes at times. You are never on bed rest. They want you up and moving as much as you can, but you will feel like taking a nap a couple times a day. Part of that for me was that I was not sleeping through the whole night. You won’t be able to sleep laying flat for a little while. An easy chair usually works best.

At this point coming up on 3 months after the surgery, I’m feeling pretty decent, but I can tell that I still have some healing to do. I went back to work after 8 weeks and for the most part I don’t have trouble doing anything in my day to day life.

Anymore questions, feel free to email me and I will answer the best I can.

Q: How risky in a heart surgery that involves replacing a heart valve, and fixing two aneurysm?
We found out that some one I know needs to have an open heart surgery because she was born with only two heart valves. On top of that they discovered two aneurysm in her heart and need to operate on her within a week. I know that all surgery is risky, but if any one can shed some light on this situation and possibly show me some statistics, it would be much appreciated.

A: Any surgery which involves multiple procedures to be done simultaneously will certainly be more risky, but with an experienced surgeon this type of surgery has a very high success rate. Some things to consider, though, are any other health issues of the person who is to have surgery. Age is a big factor, as is a persons activity level prior to surgery (more active people tend to “bounce back” more quickly). Also, smokers tend to have much longer recoveries due to lung issues (such as difficulty being weaned off the vent). Diabetics tend to heal more slowly, esp those with poorly controlled diabetes. Obesity also plays a large role, due to complications with infection, incisions re-opening, and greater difficulty with increasing activity after surgery.
There are many other factors that play a role – this is just a short list – and the surgeon will surely go over potential complications with the patient. Please let your friend know that you are there to help, but the first month or two after surgery is often hard on these patients as they struggle to recover. She may be reluctant to ask for help, but just doing simple things will be greatly appreciated. Make sure she has plenty of time to rest, and encourage her to eat, even if it is only a little – open heart patients tend to have very poor appetites after surgery!!

Q: VALVE SURGERY – THE PERFECT OPTION FOR THE PERFECT HEART?
After learning that I had severe stenosis and regurgitation in my aortic valve, I experienced the common mental and emotional problems of cardiac surgery patients. I was confused. I was scared. I knew nothing about open heart surgery or heart valve surgery.

My family and I searched the Internet looking for answers. Ultimately, that chaotic search produced more anxiety and I began suffering from insomnia.

What should I do ???

A: You need a lot more specific information from your cardiologist. Insist on it. Be polite but firm. Searching the internet can give you more information than you need. Your condition is specific to you. Only your cardiologist knows the details. Set down with him/her and have a long talk. What needs to be done to correct your specific condition? Surgery (a reasonable possibility) drugs? What steps can you take to help yourself? What is the recovery time if surgery is needed? What will be your level of activity? What is the long term prognosis? The internet is a good source of information but how much of what you read applies to you? Forget the internet for now, talk to your doctor.

Q: Curious About Heart Valve Surgery and Recovery?
I am a 13 year old girl, very healthy I have a Heart murmur and there is a chance I may be having this surgery due to many related symptoms and my appointment to see a cardiologist is still weeks away, so I wanted to know from people who have had the surgery what their experience was with getting this surgery done plus the whole recovery and Please no sugar coating.

A: Heart surgery is no walk in the park, but you are young and healthy. Once the decision is made that you do need surgery a lot of things will happen at once. Your cardiologist and cardiac surgeon will answer all of yours and your parents questions. You can also speak to a child life specialist, and they will be able to walk you though what will happen.
The surgery its self will take place in a hospital with an ICU that has a lot of experience caring for someone like you. On the night before surgery you will eat a lite dinner then nothing to eat or drink after midnight. Depending on the hospital, sometimes your parents can walk with you to the OR, and once in the OR you will have a whole team of nurses, anesthesia, perfusionist, and your surgeon to take care of you. The OR is normally noisy, bright, and cooled but you won’t remember this because you will be given “happy” medication to help relax you.
When you wake up in the ICU you will have a breathing tube (which will come out as soon as you are strong enough to breathe on your own), a foley to drain your bladder, IV’s, and tubes to drain fluid out of your chest.
Recovery will be slow at first, but most people are out of bed the next day, and moved out of the ICU and to a step down unit within 24 hrs. You will have pain, but they will give you drugs to help. Most people are back at home within 7-10days but it depends on how fast your body recovers. You will
feel better every day. And within 8 weeks you will be back to your old self.
Which valve needs fixed/ replaced? Aortic, Mitral? Research what type of valve you will get if you have it replaced- tissue (cow valve) or mechanical.

Q: Friend is having the new robot assisted heart valve surgery?
My boyfriend is having the new robotic assisted heart valve surgery soon he is in his early 30’s with regurigiatation (leaky heart valve) They were going to delay the surgery until the first of next year with the help of constant weekly check ups and medication but he is having chest pain not relieved by the medication that they are giving him now they have to move up his surgery for around the Thanksgiving time. The surgery is assisted with the help of a robot and they will cut open a small part of his ribs in his side vs the invasive mid sternum cut and they will put in a mechanical valve. He wont have the small cuts in his chest like other robotic heart surgeries. But he is very nervous about the whole surgery thing. But I told him that the the less invasive surgery hes having is less risky than normal surgery for I am positive on the high success rate of these surgeries. Has anybody had a valve replacement with the new robot assisted surgery and what are statitics of the robot surgery verses the old fashioned regular surgery?

A: No personal experience with this, but here is what I’ve heard:

It takes the surgeons a little while to get used to using the robot. It allows them to access areas that their hands are too big to get into without cracking open the chest. Apparently though, once they get used to it, they can do delicate surgery more easily than they can do it open. Of course, they are all trained to do the surgery open, so if there is a problem, they can always switch to that technique.

Any cardiac surgery is risky, but it sounds like it will be more risky for him NOT to do the surgery. It looks like his physicians are on top of what’s going on with him, so he should be just fine.

Best of luck to both of you!

Q: Is heart valve replacement surgery painfull? What are the chances of living after the surgery?

A: My mom has had it 3 times. And thankfully after the 3rd (within a 19 year period) she is the healthiest I have seen her in my entire life. Yes it is painful, but what surgery isn’t. Something that will help you is to get a big stuffed animal, or a huge pillow, to keep close to you because you will be coughing. You need to cough, and if you have something big and soft to hold against your chest, it will soften the blow. And try to have someone close to you stay with you at all times while you are in the hospital. That way you will have someone to take good care of you. You don’t always get a good nurse and you will be much more at ease if you have someone close to you there.

Q: After Heart valve surgery is done,how long does it take to remove the stitches?

A: Removal of stitches in paediatric patients is usually three to fve days. Again, this may vary from patient to patient. As a rule children heal fast, so the stitches come out fast. The following conditions will delay removal of stitches.
a. Presence of infection
b. Wound is not well approximated
c. The patient is not well nourished
d. Chemotherapy
e. other treatments are involved e.g. radiation

In adult patients stitches are generally removed after 7 to 9 days. The period will be increased if the patient is very old or has any of the conditions mentioned.

Self dissolving sutures do not ever need to be removed. They dissolve in the patient and the external bits just fall off.

I used to work in the ICU.

http://www.triond.com/users/Shergill

Q: What is the cost of Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery ?

A: Many patients travel from United States of America and UK to get low cost of Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery in India. One of the most frequently asked questions when considering Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery is “how much?” and “what is the price of surgery in India?”

Oftentimes, patients choose their surgeon on the basis of price.
The cost of Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery is very affordable in India and costs are much lower when compared to the United States, UK and other countries. However, since the success of your surgery is largely dependent on your choice of surgeon, cost should not be your main consideration for your decision to undergo Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery in India.

I checked out the website of Forerunners Healthcare –which is the premier most medical tourism company in India offering low cost surgery in India to International Patients. They have served more than 400 International patients from across the globe (especially US and UK) to get low cost affordable surgery in India at the best Hospitals and Medical Institutions. And the general price of the Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery is as follows-

The Cost of Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery in India is $ 11,000.

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

In India, any licensed medical doctor can perform Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery. To avoid unsatisfactory results, it is best to choose a surgeon who has completed an accredited residency-training program in Double Heart Valve Replacement Surgery. He should have extensive experience in the procedure you will undergo. That’s when Forerunners Healthcare come into picture-helping you get the best surgeon for your surgery at the most affordable prices in the best Hospitals of India.

Your surgeon’s skill can make all the difference between a good and an average result. Thus, although it is understandable that price is one of the considerations in your choice of surgeon, it is important to remember that the main consideration should be your surgeon’s professional qualifications and experience.

Besides that you should look into other issues related to traveling abroad, which is your visa, passport, climate, cultural issues and language barrier. Although language is not a problem in India –as most of the people are well verse in English. But you should make sure that you have a reliable hand holding person to guide you through the various steps of getting medical treatment and surgery in India.

Hope this helps.

Filed under: Heart Surgery

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