Heart valve surgery

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Heart, front view	Heart, section through the middle	Heart valves - anterior view	Heart valves - superior view
Heart valve surgery - series

Valve replacement; Valve repair; Heart valve prosthesis

The risks for any anesthesia include:

• Reactions to medications
• Problems breathing

The risks for any surgery include:

• Bleeding
• Infection

The risks for cardiac surgery include:

• Death
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Arrhythmia
• Kidney failure
• Temporary postoperative confusion due to the heart-lung machine

It is very important to take steps to prevent valve infections. Therefore, you may need to take antibiotics indefinitely, or before dental work and other invasive procedures.

Review Date: 05/30/2006
Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.