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Aortic Valve Replacement with TAVR: What is it like?
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Nov 28, 2023 | Replies (58)Comment receiving replies
I am sorry for your health challenges. My husband had his aortic valve replaced at age 77. The valve was leaking due to age and genetic defect. Surgery was successful but he was on the table for five hours. Immediately after surgery he had noticeable changes in memory. Heart surgery is very stressful on the body. No one ever mentioned that one of the possible side effects of heart surgery is the effect on the brain. Long story short: the Alzheimer's that was attacking his brain (and was unknown to us) kicked into high gear and he is now residing is assisted living. NO easy choices.
Replies to "I am sorry for your health challenges. My husband had his aortic valve replaced at age..."
Hello @ann16 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing your husband's experience. I'm thinking that since his surgery was five hours long that he must have had the open-heart surgery. How unfortunate that his brain was affected by this medical procedure. You are right when you say that there are "no easy choices."
Was your husband's surgery recent?
We have a caregivers' discussion group that you might find helpful. Here is a link to those discussions, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/.
How are you doing with all of these changes in your life? Do you have support for yourself from family and friends?
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I’m sorry to hear this! Did he have open-heart surgery or did he have the TAVR procedure? There are always risks to any surgery, and however slight they may be on paper, they aren’t slight when they happen to you. You’re right, the choice is not easy and the risks have to be weighed against the potential benefits. I certainly didn’t expect a stroke to be a by-product of my catheterization. It’s given me pause to think about whether the TAVR is right for me right now, or if I should wait until I have symptoms that are life-changing before I submit to it. My heart goes out to you and your husband.