Heart Valve Surgery Complications During Recovery - What Should You Know?
Special survey of 75 former heart valve surgery patients reveals interesting details about heart valve surgery complications.
(by Adam Pick, author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery)
Following cardiac surgery, heart valve surgery patients experience a very unique feeling. On one hand, the patient has just progressed through a very traumatic event. It doesn’t matter whether you had a heart valve repair or a heart valve replacement, cardiac surgery is typically nerve-wracking and fear-ridden for most patients and caregivers. To take that experience and put it into the past is, for many, a euphoric event. On the other hand, once the surgery is complete, the patient can unknowingly embark on an often mis-managed road to recovery. Personally, I experienced several issues - both physical and mental - following my aortic and pulmonary valve replacement surgery (known as the Ross Procedure).
As the patient transitions into the post-operative experience, he or she may find new challenges to consider. Such challenges may involve several different perceived or actual heart valve surgery complications. That said, the patient can experience heightened sensations that something is wrong post-operation. Whether it is a heart palpitation or chest-clicking, patients can be confronted by heart valve surgery complications. Ultimately, the patient may begin to generate several questions about their surgical experience and recovery. Questions include:
- What are the common heart valve surgery complications?
- Am I experiencing a heart valve complication that is not normal?
- Should I be worried?
- Should I go to the doctor for my heart valve surgery complicaton?
- Is there something very wrong with me?
Again, as a former, heart valve surgery patient, I can relate to most of the questions raised above. Recovering from heart valve surgery is, for most patients, very difficult and very time-consuming.
To better understand patient complications following heart valve surgery, I conducted an extensive online and offline survey of almost one hundred former patients. One of the questions asked during that survey was, “Did you experience any form of heart valve surgery complication following your heart valve repair or heart valve replacement?”
As you can see on the chart below, over 66% of patients responded that they had some form of heart valve surgery complication following surgery. It is critical to note that this response considers the patient’s perspective only. It does not provide a clinical understanding of what a physician may deem a true or untrue complication. Still, it is very interesting to see that most patients feel that “something is wrong” at some point during their recovery.
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August 25th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
[…] I’ll be very upfront with you. I do not have a quantitative / statistical answer for you. (Yes. It’s on my list of survey questions for next year. ) Alternatively, I have some anectdotal information that might help you answer this question - if you are considering an out-of-town surgery. Typically, patients remain in the hospital for five days after their heart surgery procedure. However, if heart surgery complications occur (and they do), time in the hospital can extend for longer periods. […]