Given the recent post about endocarditis, swine flu and heart valves ^[1], I’ve received several emails about these topics. Laura just sent me an interesting question asking for your help about dental cleanings, gum bleeding and atrial fibrilation.

Laura writes, “Hi Adam, I had double valve replacement surgery a little over a year ago and have been feeling very good. Then, I went to the dentist for my routine cleaning. I took my usual prophylactic antibiotics. My gums bled almost all day because of the Coumadin ^[2]. Then, I started getting irregular beats that feel like borderline atrial fibrillation (a-fib) ^[3]. This happened to me six months ago as well. It took about 10 days for it to go away. Has anybody else had this experience? What can I do about it? Thanks, Laura”

Unlike Laura, I did not experience the complications referenced above. That said, I was hoping you might be able to help her. If you experienced issues with gum bleeding and a-fib after heart valve replacement or heart valve repair surgery, could you help her by leaving a comment? To do so, simply click here ^[4].

In advance, thanks for sharing your thoughts with Laura.

Keep on tickin!