What treatment is left?

[Jimjimjo]

My husband has been diagnosed with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and his arotic valve doesn't close properly, and he had a defibulator put in about three months ago.  He has been on hemodialysis for 9 years.  He has just finished 6 weeks of IV antibiotics for an infection that attached to his arotic valve and also in the lining of his heart.  Dr. says the vegetation is still attached to the arotic valve however the infection seems to be cleared up.  My husband's heart is to weak and worn to survive any kind of surgery to remove the vegetation.  Is there some other treatment that might help him?  Thanks, Jimmie

[kenkeith]

There are biological treatments that can either dissolve the vegetations (clots) or at a minimum, stabilize it until the body can eliminate the clot.  Anticoagulant medication (heparin, warfarin, etc.) can prevent any further clotting (stabilize) or a more potent agent (streptokinase, urokinase, tPA, etc,) which actively dissolve clots.  Can be delievered with minimum intervention directly to the site of interest or no intervention with injection to the blood stream.