aortic valve replacement recovery

[zeev solomon]

hi,
i am 33 y and last aogust (29/8/99) i had an AVR op.
after 4 days i was home and after 2 weeks i started going to work for few hours each day.
after one month i was working full day.
after the op i suffered from pericarditice and took steroids for a month.
during the last few months after the op i was suffering from dizzines - at first many hours a day , and now it comes every couple of days .
i also suffer sometime from accelerated heart beat - up to 130 ,
with no reason at all , for example at night or when i wake up in the morning. my normal heart beat now is between 80 and 100.
i had a holter test and the results came out good.
my heart rate before the AVR op was low and i exersized few times a week. my blood pressure is a little bit high - 130/90, also something that i didnt suffer from before the op.
i am on coumadin (4-5 mg per day).
the dizzines and the accelerated heart beat destureb me a lot .
maybe you can help me with an explanation.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

We do see increased heart rates following surgery but these usually return to normal after about 6 months.  I don't have an explaination for the dizziness.  I would recommend rehabilitation or exercise as recommended by your doctor to increase your stamina and help decrease your heart rate.

[Gary]

I don't know if this will help but my AV has been bicuspid (two-leaves instead of the normal 3) and became damaged further during two episodes of rheumatic fever, at 6 and 14 yrs old.

Since that time, over 42 year ago, my heart has accommodated to handle the job as long I do not get winded. I restricted my physical activities to preserve the heart. Eventually I knew it would have to be replaced. And that time is now at hand.

In doing my work to find out about the options, I asked my caridiologists about how I was able to last this long and they said my baseline Blood Pressure, which is low 110/60, may be a contributing factor and the yearly exams helped to keep an eye on the LV hypertophy until such time as waiting would be riskier than pulling the trigger.

I asked about what I might expect after the surgery and since my BP is low, and my heart muscle is very strong after all these years of being overworked, what danger signals should I look for post-op?  Would the fact that I now have a perfectly working valve not be easier on the LV?  Yes, but it might take more than a year for the heart muscle to adjust to its reduced workload and during that time it's going to 'shrink' in size. The other "Humoral Response" from the body when any foreign object is implanted in it is to be expected and varies among individuals depending on many factors, including your conditioning going in,
your height to weight ratio, and the 'art' in getting the proper dosages of meds. I hope this helps a bit.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Thanks for your comments.