{"id":39045,"date":"2025-05-19T08:50:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T13:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/?p=39045"},"modified":"2025-05-23T18:10:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T23:10:29","slug":"tissue-valve-complications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2025\/05\/19\/tissue-valve-complications\/","title":{"rendered":"John Warns You About Tissue Valve Complications"},"content":{"rendered":"

I received a very interesting note from John Bryan, a heart valve patient. I share John’s story not to scare you but rather to educate you specific to the realities of valvular defects, heart valve replacement durability, and cardiac monitoring.<\/p>\n

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\"PatientJohn Bryan (Heart Valve Patient)<\/p>\n

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After Heart Valve Surgery, John Was Good<\/h2>\n

Here is what John wrote to me:<\/p>\n

Adam, I\u2019m not sure how to share this.<\/p>\n

There are complications that can arise from a bioprosthetic aortic valve wearing out.\u00a0 So you know, I never heard about this.<\/p>\n

My congenitally deformed aortic valve was replaced with a tissue valve in 2007. \u00a0I had no restrictions and no meds. \u00a0I was very active after surgery. I played basketball, rode a bike 100 miles a week, did week long bike tours, and had no issues.<\/p>\n

Every year I followed up with a very well credentialed cardiologist. \u00a0All was good.<\/p>\n

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Complications Occur<\/h2>\n

Two years ago, however, I had a breathing issue riding up a steep mountain road. \u00a0I chalked it off to being tired, having a cold, whatever. \u00a0A couple of months later, I had a high blood pressure episode and an unusually height heart rate. \u00a0I was at a vacation home in the North Carolina mountains. \u00a0A local cardiologist suspected the valve.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, my platelets numbers, liver numbers and kidney numbers on blood work were not so good.<\/p>\n

I tried to follow up with the cardiologist I had been seeing for years. \u00a0He sent me to a pulmonologist, then a hematologist\/oncologist, and then liver doctors. \u00a0After months of negative test results, I went back to the local cardiologist and got a referral to a cardiac structural specialists group.<\/p>\n

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TAVR Valve-in-Valve Resets John’s Blood<\/h2>\n

Eventually, after more months of testing, I had a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)<\/a> procedure in North Carolina.\u00a0 Just one week later, all my blood work was normal.<\/p>\n

My understanding is that my aortic valve was failing for about 4 years and my heart was over-compensating. \u00a0It caused the right side heart pressure to be elevated which in turn cause cardiac cirrhosis<\/a>, congested kidneys, and probably permanent heart damage.<\/p>\n

This all happened because they let the valve go too long.<\/p>\n

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John’s Cautionary Advice<\/h2>\n

The caution is for people to watch the pressures on the right side of the heart when they get annual echocardiograms. \u00a0If it starts rising, which mine did in 2018, it could be an issue with the tissue valve replacement.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m kind of ok now. \u00a0The TAVR was 3.5 months ago. \u00a0They\u2019ve got me on several different drugs including entresto, jardiance, metoprolol \u00a0and furosemide. The technical diagnosis is heart failure without symptoms. \u00a0I can ride my bike on mountain roads. I\u2019m still following up to find out if the liver issue is permanent and to find out the extent of the permanent heart damage.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if this has ever been researched or if I\u2019m a one off, but it is an issue for valve replacement patients. So, I wanted to share it with all the heart valve patients in our community.<\/p>\n

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May 23, 2025 Miracle Update from John<\/h2>\n

Upon posting this story, I sent John a thank you note for sharing his experiences with our community. Shortly thereafter, I received this email from John:
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“Hi Adam, There have been significant updates since I originally sent my story to you. \u00a0My heart recovered completely. \u00a0When the 1st echo came back showing my heart was normal, I claimed a “miracle”. \u00a0The surgeon wasn\u2019t sure what to call it. At my 1-year follow-up echo, a few weeks ago, the surgeon referred to me as his \u201cmiracle child\u201d. \u00a0They released me from the specialty clinic with instructions to follow up annually with a regular cardiologist. Also, my liver cardiac cirrhosis reversed and the liver is fine. \u00a0I\u2019ve had 3 sets of blood work since the TAVR and everything is in normal ranges. \u00a0I still claim a miracle!” — John Bryan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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