[ Ссылка ] - There is no doubt about it. Heart valve disease can be debilitating and life-threatening. Thankfully, there are several different surgical and transcatheter procedures to treat valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.
Heart valve operations are designed to extend the life and quality-of-life of patients needing help. However, patients have important questions about life expectancy and heart valve surgery. To learn more, we interviewed Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Chair of Cardiac Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
Key questions asked-and-answered during our interview with Dr. Chikwe include:
1. What is heart valve disease?
2. What are the symptoms and risks of heart valve disease?
3. Can heart valve disease be fatal?
4. How can your team prevent death due to valve disease? How do you treat heart valve disease?
5. Are patients permanently “fixed” after a successful heart valve procedure? Why or why not?
6. How might life expectancy vary by (i) type of heart valve disease, (ii) type of valve procedure, and (iii) type of valve replacement?
7. What other factors might contribute to life expectancy including related cardiac disorders (atrial fibrillation, aneurysms, and coronary artery disease)?
8. What are potential surgical complications (afib, pacemaker) that may impact life expectancy?
9. If required, what should patients know about heart valve re-operations?
8. Are there any misconceptions about life expectancy and heart valve surgery? If so, what are those misconceptions?
9. What, if anything, can patients do to enhance their life expectancy after heart valve surgery?
To see patient reviews and a complete surgeon biography of Dr. Joanna Chikwe, please click [ Ссылка ].
