Concerns of after Aortic Valve Replacement Surgeory

  Hi!
  My husband is 44 and had the mechnical aortic valve replacement this April, he is back to normal activities right now.  
  Something worries me is that he always feel tired, he wakes up at 7:00 am, take a nap around 2:00pm for 30 minutes to 2 hours, than goes to bed at 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm.  I don't think this is normal, is this a heart failue symtom? Please advice.
  Thanks
  
  Elizabeth  

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Dear Elizabeth, thank you for your question.  Fatigue can be a symptom of heart
failure, but is usually accompanied by shortness of breath with exertion,
shortness of breath while lying flat, decreased exercise tolerance, and ankle
swelling.  Your husband should have recovered completely from his aortic valve
replacement by this point, so his fatigue may be related to other factors.
For example, hypothyroidism can cause fatigue and lethargy.  To determine
how your husband's mechanical valve is functioning, he could have an echocardiogram
done to image the valve and the ventricles (pumping chambers of the heart).
However, I think the best thing to do would be to have your husband evaluated by
a good internist who could consider both cardiac and non-cardiac causes of his
fatigue.  I hope this information helps.
Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Specific
diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.