Critical Aortic Stenosis, Patients Over 80, Alternatives To Surgery

April 14th, 2008

Here are some interesting thoughts from Dr. Paul Donohue regarding an 85-year old patient with critical aortic stenosis. Dr. Donohue also comments on alternatives to aortic valve replacement in this report from The Daily Observer.

The patient writes, “I am an 85-year-old man suffering from critical aortic stenosis. I think I am too old for heart surgery. My cardiologist has made me aware of a less-demanding procedure done at a New York hospital. Will you describe this procedure?”

Dr. Paul Donohue writes back, “The heart pumps blood into the aorta – the body’s largest artery – for circulation to all other body arteries. The aortic valve closes after blood is pumped out, to prevent any blood flow back into the heart. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of that valve. A narrow aortic valve puts a great burden on the heart: It has to pump much harder than normal to eject blood through the tight valve. Fainting, shortness of breath and chest pain when active are three signs that the valve is critically narrowed.

“The only cure for critical aortic stenosis is surgical correction. Age is not a contraindication to surgery. Patients in their 80s are accepted for surgery if their health allows them to deal with the rigors of a heart operation.

“I don’t know what the New York hospital’s procedure is, but I do know there are alternatives to surgery. One is enlarging the valve by inflating a balloon that has been passed to the valve through a surface blood vessel. Another procedure currently undergoing investigation involves actual replacement of the valve in a manner similar to the balloon dilation method. If invasive intervention isn’t possible, medicines can relieve symptoms even though they don’t fix the valve.”

For the latest information on whether or not heart surgery is advisable for patients over eighty years old (with critical aortic stenosis), please click here.

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About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.