Heart valve surgery?
Question:
If he has the mechanical one he will need to take warfarin for the rest of his life he is aged 60.
Warfarin will restrict his life style I think.
Has anyone had to make the same kind of decision?.
Answers:
Hi, I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve 4 years ago. I take Coumadin. I was 37 at the time. It has not restricted me at all. A mechanical valve lasts longer than a biological valve and he may have to have another operation, and you don't want to have to go through it but once if possible. Taking Coumadin is not bad. It keeps your blood thin and it will not cause a heart attack or stroke as someone else said, as a matter of fact, he will be less likely to have one because he would be on Coumadin. There is always the risk of bleeding, but if he keeps his PTT levels checked as he should this is usually not a problem. The really only drawback is that you have to go to the doctor at least once per month to have your PTT level checked and keeping up with what dosage to take each day. He may take different dosages every day. I am on the same dosage 5 days per week and a different dosage the other 2 days of the week.
But, he has to make the decision that is best for him and I am sure his surgeon will go over every option and explain in detail with him. I chose the mechanical valve because I was young and I hope I don't have to go through the surgery again. I would rather take Coumadin than go through the surgery again.
Best wishes to you both.
My mother 10 yrs. ago had the bio. aortic semilunar valve put in. She takes an asprin daily not coumadin. Either way a stenosed aortic valve is a cause for sudden death so taking coumadin daily is not so bad. The real question should be which one is the most reliable? You can't have any failures, or sudden death will result.
Taking warfarin isn't so bad. I've been taking it 4 years and will continue as long as I keep ticking. The only down side to it is that you have to take a PT test monthly to monitor the clotting and dosage but it's no big deal. There is a lot of talk of dietary restrictions and all the things your not supposed to eat, but the key is to always eat about the same thing. If you have a salad for lunch every day - have a salad. The test adjust the dosage to your diet.
Warfarin does have a benefit in that it stops / reduces blood clots which could save you from a stroke or other problem.
I believe you should base your decision as to what kind of valve to get on effectiveness, life span and valve life. Getting cracked open isn't a lot of fun - it's major surgery.
There are four options to heart valve replacement that I know of. Each have their pros and cons.
A completely artificial valve is one choice. Like you said, this choice requires the patient to take coumadin for as long as the valve exists in the patient. The blood thinner is the drawback because it can cause internal bleeding, stroke, and heart attacks. The plus is that it can last longer than live tissue implantations.
Another option is a donated heart valve, either aortic or pulmonary. The drawbacks to these are that they don't last as long as the completely artificial valves and they are in low availability. The advantage is that the normal anatomy of the heart is maintained.
Another option, similar to the one just above, is the Ross Procedure. This involves using the pulmonary valve of the patient and then replacing the pulmonary valve with a donated heart valve or mechanical valve. One drawback for this surgery is aortic valve leakage because the pulmonary valve isn't used to the high pressure that the aortic valve needs to withstand. One advantage is that a transplanted valve will withstand longer as a pulmonary valve than as a aortic valve due to the low pressure.
Lastly, the biomechanical valve. This is partly artificial and partly living tissue. The advantage is that it doesn't require the patient to take blood thinners. The disadvantage is that they do not tend to last as long as the completely artificial valves.
This is an oversimplified explanation of your brothers potential options. There a lot of things to consider like age, ability to withstand long surgeries, new valve life, and other heart diseases.
My advice is that you have your brother discuss all of these options with his doctor and make sure he understands why or why not he his recommended to venture down certain routes. His doctor will have success rates for each option for his condition.
Hope this helps, and good luck to him.
i have an operation 3 years ago I'm taking coumudin but relay i good health i just have to check my ptttor coumudin
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