Abandoned operation

[Katy]

I’m a new member to the forum Thankyou for accepting Mei recently had pnuemonia and during investigations and tests I was told I had a severe mitrial leakage and moderate tricuspid and was scheduled for repair / replacement valve surgery during the op they brought me round to tell me the babies were now only mildly leaking and made the decision to halt the operation I was confused to say the least
Is it usual for valves to recover once the pnuemonia had cleared ? They are going to keep a watchful eye on me for now but I am left feeling confused and a bit bewildered
Any thoughts anyone ?

 

[dick0236]

Any thoughts anyone ?

My initial reaction is.....HUH????. I've been around folks with heart surgical issues for a long time but have never heard your story before. Heart surgery is far too serious for a surgeon or hospital to blow it off with a "whoops". Certainly makes the case for getting a second opinion.

 

[Katy]

My initial reaction is.....HUH????. I've been around folks with heart surgical issues for a long time but have never heard your story before. Heart surgery is far too serious for a surgeon or hospital to blow it off with a "whoops". Certainly makes the case for getting a second opinion.

Thankyou for your comments I’ll take that on board
Can I ask in your experience can a severely leaking Mitrial valve actually recover to that degree ? Bearing in mind it was severe during a bad bout of pnuemonia ?
Katy

 

[sylviayasgur]

i'm sorry you are going through this, Katy. Did the drs do all the required tests prior to your surgery (cath, TEE)? If not, how did he conclude that your valves were leaky enough to warrant surgery? if he did, i'm as lost as **** and maybe do seek another opinion. Sounds odd to me as well. Maybe others here know more or have seen this before. be well, stay safe. you've come to a great place_ lots of info, caring, and mostly good people.

 

[Katy]

i'm sorry you are going through this, Katy. Did the drs do all the required tests prior to your surgery (cath, TEE)? If not, how did he conclude that your valves were leaky enough to warrant surgery? if he did, i'm as lost as **** and maybe do seek another opinion. Sounds odd to me as well. Maybe others here know more or have seen this before. be well, stay safe. you've come to a great place_ lots of info, caring, and mostly good people.

Hi Sylvia
Thankyou for your response , yes indeed I had 3 CT scans 3 x rays , a TOE that’s the echocardiogram .arterial bloods and an angiogram ,constant monitoring over two weeks because I was very ill with pneumonia and congestive heart failure and I was on oxygen . They said the Mitrial valve was severely leaking and the tricuspid was leaking moderately and I would require surgery to either repair or replace I was discharged to recover from the pneumonia fully to ensure I was clear of infection and returned 3 weeks later for the op , When I arrived the day before op I had another x ray to make sure there was no lingering infection and the next day 3 hours after I was under anaesthetic they brought me round and you know the rest .
I live in the UK and we’re very fortunate to have our wonderful NHS and the heart unit concerned is considered to be the best in the country . My husband is relieved and feels the decision was made in my best interests but I have these niggling doubts that I can’t seem to shake
Many thanks again the forum does seem very supportive
Katy

 

[vitdoc]

How far into the operation did they get before it was terminated? Also I doubt
“pneumonia “ would have a significant effect on your cardiac echo. Sounds like some sort of error. Possibly in the reading or reporting of the echo.

 

[Katy]

How far into the operation did they get before it was terminated? Also I doubt
“pneumonia “ would have a significant effect on your cardiac echo. Sounds like some sort of error. Possibly in the reading or reporting of the echo.

It was just under 3 hours . It’s funny you should say that because when I had the echo ( which is a horrible experience as anyone who’s had one will know ) when the Results were being viewed an assistant came in and actually pulled out the plug accidentally and the computer went down there was a an alarmed response as the screen went blank and then they said it’s ok we’ve got it back , this is what’s causing me concern
Katy

 

[Katy]

It was just under 3 hours . It’s funny you should say that because when I had the echo ( which is a horrible experience as anyone who’s had one will know ) when the Results were being viewed an assistant came in and actually pulled out the plug accidentally and the computer went down there was a an alarmed response as the screen went blank and then they said it’s ok we’ve got it back , this is what’s causing me concern
Katy

The surgeon said the pneumonia caused the fluid build up and affected the valves but I would have thought it was the other way round and the heart failure caused the fluid build up and caused the pneumonia .
To clarify I have had an enlarged heart and impaired left ventricular function for about 18 years

 

[MdaPA]

The surgeon said the pneumonia caused the fluid build up and affected the valves

Kate,
Sounds like if your surgeon said pneumonia caused the fluid build up and that affected the valves that your valves were made worse by the extra work load on the heart?

When I arrived the day before op I had another x ray to make sure there was no lingering infection and the next day 3 hours after I was under anaesthetic they brought me round and you know the rest .

Did they do a stress or echo stress test the day or few days prior to your surgery (after you had recovered from the pneumonia) to ascertain how your valves were working under a heavy workload? You may have no/less symptoms/leakage under normal conditions than when your heart is under heavy load/stress.

How far along did they get into the surgery (i.e. did they make incision, expose the heart) and what did the surgeon see to make him call it off (results from a TOE/TEE)?

A copy of the surgeons report would hopefully clarify things.

 

[Katy]

Kate,
Sounds like if your surgeon said pneumonia caused the fluid build up and that affected the valves that your valves were made worse by the extra work load on the heart?

QUOTE="Katy, post: 899680, member: 17424"]
When I arrived the day before op I had another x ray to make sure there was no lingering infection and the next day 3 hours after I was under anaesthetic they brought me round and you know the rest .

Did they do a stress or echo stress test the day or few days prior to your surgery (after you had recovered from the pneumonia) to ascertain how your valves were working under a heavy workload? You may have no/less symptoms/leakage under normal conditions than when your heart is under heavy load/stress.

How far along did they get into the surgery (i.e. did they make incision, expose the heart) and what did the surgeon see to make him call it off (results from a TOE/TEE)?

A copy of the surgeons report would hopefully clarify things.
[/QUOTE]
I only had an X-ray the day before all my tests were carried out 3 weeks prior while I was in hospital with pneumonia
No incisions were made at all , the surgeon said they looked at the valves as they were about to start and he saw the mitrial and triscupid valves were mildly leaking and a discussion as a team was held and they all decided it was not necessary to proceed with the surgery as they balanced risk and benefit to me

 

[pellicle]

No incisions were made at all , the surgeon said they looked at the valves as they were about to start and he saw the mitrial and triscupid valves were mildly leaking and a discussion as a team was held and they all decided it was not necessary to proceed with the surgery as they balanced risk and benefit to me

so while that's good, one only wonders why that was not done before? (I suspect the answer sentence contains Cardiologist with another word"incompetent" and perhaps a verb like "is")

I hope you're feeling ok ... best wishes

 

[catwoman]

First of all, I am quite surprised a surgeon would have scheduled you for any procedure only 3 weeks after being discharged for pneumonia. You may have been clear of any infection, but it takes longer than 3 weeks for the body to recover from pneumonia before inflicting heart surgery on it.

And why did they need to do surgery so quickly after your bout with pneumonia?

Something does not add up.

 

[Katy]

First of all, I am quite surprised a surgeon would have scheduled you for any procedure only 3 weeks after being discharged for pneumonia. You may have been clear of any infection, but it takes longer than 3 weeks for the body to recover from pneumonia before inflicting heart surgery on it.

And why did they need to do surgery so quickly after your bout with pneumonia?

Something does not add up.

Hi
Thankyou for your response
I think they wanted to operate quickly as the echo initially showed the mitrial valve was severely leaking I and the triscupid moderately
I am still processing it all and am still bewildered as to how valves can heal and recover quite frankly I’m doubting the results of the TOE and I’m suspecting an error was made
Katy

 

[dornole]

The only thing I have to compare this to is my mitral stenosis. It was discovered when I was pregnant with twins and developed congestive heart failure with trouble breathing, pulmonary edema and coughing up blood as a result of the additional cardiac load of the pregnancy. They did a caesarean and I got significant relief of symptoms but they still operated a month later. I honestly don’t know if the echo data were better after the delivery or not as it was all new and I was just trying to keep going. I’d be wondering about an echo error too, that plug issue sounds sketchy. Sounds like you had an unneeded anesthesia basically; I’m glad it wasn’t even more intrusive.

 

[Katy]

The only thing I have to compare this to is my mitral stenosis. It was discovered when I was pregnant with twins and developed congestive heart failure with trouble breathing, pulmonary edema and coughing up blood as a result of the additional cardiac load of the pregnancy. They did a caesarean and I got significant relief of symptoms but they still operated a month later. I honestly don’t know if the echo data were better after the delivery or not as it was all new and I was just trying to keep going. I’d be wondering about an echo error too, that plug issue sounds sketchy. Sounds like you had an unneeded anesthesia basically; I’m glad it wasn’t even more intrusive.

Many thanks for your response
I’m glad you’re ok now you seem to have gone through gah it
I’m inclined to agree with your comments
Take care Katy

 

[vitdoc]

I really doubt your valve issues suddenly resolved with the clearing of the pneumonia. It sounds like a bit of a screw up. What also is interesting is why the surgeons did not go ahead with your surgery. I don't think that re doing an echo cardiogram just prior to surgery is usual and customary. Something must not have seemed right. You were lucky they did not open you up and then changed their minds. Finally why did it take them three hours to decide that you did not need surgery? Maybe the NHS is well thought of but they in this case are not being very transparent. A story like this in the US would frequently generate a malpractice law suite. (and I am a physician). All’s well that ends well however.

 

[Katy]

I really doubt your valve issues suddenly resolved with the clearing of the pneumonia. It sounds like a bit of a screw up. What also is interesting is why the surgeons did not go ahead with your surgery. I don't think that re doing an echo cardiogram just prior to surgery is usual and customary. Something must not have seemed right. You were lucky they did not open you up and then changed their minds. Finally why did it take them three hours to decide that you did not need surgery? Maybe the NHS is well thought of but they in this case are not being very transparent. A story like this in the US would frequently generate a malpractice law suite. (and I am a physician). All’s well that ends well however.

Hi
Thankyou for your reply
I share all of your opinions and I’m really not sure why it took 3 hours
They told me they got together and discussed my case within that time scale and made a decision together maybe the fact I’d been given anaesthetic not sure how that works in terms of quantity administered and how that relates to time .
I will be attending heart failure clinic next month so I’ll be preparing to put some questions to them
Many thanks Katy