Heart valve surgery

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Heart valves - anterior view

Heart valves - superior view

Heart valve surgery - series

Overview

Recovery

Risks

Heart valve surgery

Alternative Names:

Valve replacement; Valve repair; Heart valve prosthesis

Risks:

The risks for any anesthesia include:

Reactions to medications
Problems breathing

The risks for any surgery include:

Bleeding
Infection

The risks for cardiac surgery include:

Death
Stroke
Heart attack
Arrhythmia
Kidney failure
Temporary postoperative confusion due to the heart-lung machine

It is very important to take steps to prevent valve infections. Therefore, you may need to take antibiotics indefinitely, or before dental work and other invasive procedures.

Review Date: 5/30/2006
Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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