Acute Aortic Value Stenosis

[Jenny568]

My sister has just been diagnosed with Critical Aortic Valve Steno sis. She has abnormally severe edema both legs and off and on in her left hand and arm. She is also severely overweight, but yet she eats like a bird.

She has a critical amount of fluid in the lungs and has been in Congestive Heart Failure for several years. When off of oxygen, her O2 Level drops to 71. Her doctors do not seem to think she is a candidate for value replacement for this reason. Her kidney's are in protest and apparentley shutting down due to lack of blood flow.

I can't seem to get a direct answer as to prognosis from either of her doctors and need to know what it is. Can you provide information that may be able to prepare me more?

[kenkeith]

Aorta valve stenosis when severe restricts the amount of blood pumped into circulation with each heartbeat.  The valve opening is smaller than normal and can be caused by calcification.  With less blood pumped into circulation with each heartbeat the heart needs to work harder to meet the oxygen/blood demand.

The overworked heart will cause the left ventricle to enlarge and the enlargement reduces the contractility (weak pumping) of the left ventricle causing heart failure.  Heart failure indicates less blood is pumped into circulation than is received from the lungs, and blood backs up into the lungs causing fluids to leak into the lung tissues.  This causes congested (lung edema) heart failure.

Six years ago I was in ICU for congested heart failure, and the treatment was to stablize the oxygen level to 95%, and medication to reduce the heart's workload, etc.  With kidney failure, etc. your sister's  condition is more advanced than my prior condition.  A surgeon  wouldn't  want to risk your sister's life with an operation.  CHF patients are at a very high risk for an operation...if the symptoms can be successfully treated especially an increase
to the pumping of blood out of the left ventricle.