There are a lots and lots of questions that race through a patient’s mind when he or she is diagnosed as “needing heart valve replacement surgery”.

However, one of the most common questions I receive when talking with patients and their caregivers about heart valve surgery is… “What are my valve replacement surgery risks?”

It’s an interesting question. I know it well. I’ll never forget when I was diagnosed. That question was re-phrased in my mind and sounded more like, “Oh my god! Open heart surgery? Am I going to die?” (I’m guessing you can relate to that thought.)

However you chose to phrase the question, that IS NOT what makes the question interesting.

Nope… Not at all.

What makes that question interesting is the fact that there is risk if you have the surgery AND there is risk if you don’t have valve replacement surgery ^[1]. In fact, you have “risk” every second of your life – from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep.

Think about it! Do you think driving in a car is completely safe, without risk? Think again! I live in Los Angeles. The drivers are crazy in that city. Once a week I yell out to someone, “What are you trying to kill me?”

That said, valve replacement surgery risks are quite small. The unfortunate truth is that some patients do not make it through the heart surgery. However, it is a very small percentage.

During my research for the book, The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, I learned that the mortality rate for heart valve surgery is only 2.4%. And, thanks to medical technology, the mortality rate continues to improve.

I hope that helps calm some of your fears about valve replacement surgery risks. If you would like to learn more statistics about heart valve surgery risks, success and more, click here. ^[2]

Keep on tickin!