Bacterial Endocarditis after Mitral Valve Replacement

  Topic Area: Heart Disease
  My Mom had mitral valve replacement last August (97) Almost immediately after her surgery the valve became horribly infected. My Mother was consequently unresponsive and unable to communicate with us. We were told at the time that she was reacting to the heavy dose of anesthesia and infection.
  It's over a year now and there are still questions in my mind. I recently got copies of the medical records and have been doing lots of my own research about bacterial endocarditis. It appears that my Mother was at great risk to get this infection due to the mitral valve regurgitation and other abnormalities in her heart. Most of my research states that there are preventitive measures that can be taken to fight the bacteria that causes this infection. Most suggest an aggressive dose of prophylaxis before the surgery and after.
  Please, if there is any more information you can give me about this I wold really appreciate it. I have found many good sites with great information, but have yet to find someone to actually discuss this with.
  Thank-you!
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Dear Kristine,
Thank you for your questions. Endocarditis is an infection of one of the valves of the heart.   This condition  can occur post-operatively.   Antibiotics reduce the risk of infection but do not eliminate it.  Treatment usually involves protracted antibiotics and may sometimes require repeat surgery.  
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.