Anyone have endocarditis during surgery

[bbb]

Hi,

My friend with endocarditis and a mitral valve that needs repair needs to undergo emergent surgery on Monday. anyone else go through this?

Thanks! Betsy

 

[Dina]

I am really not sure. In most cases they wait until after the infection has
cleared up since the bacteria could also damage the newly repaired valve.
I could be wrong and don't want to say for sure, but I would want to
find out the surgeon's reasoning on this.
Dina

UNLESS: your friend has a past history of and not active endocarditis.
If this is the case, then it is common.

 

[Bonzo Dog]

Yes I did, aortic not mitral though. Also not replacing a native valve. My mechanical was a breeding ground for bacteria, it was taken out to be replaced by a homograft and aortic root.

 

[Dina]

bbb-You did mean repair and not replacement,right?

Bonzo- What caused your mechanical valve to be
predisposed,did this occur immediately after surgery?
Going thru that post op must have been rough.

 

[sue943]

When I was flown to England with endocarditis they thought they would be operating within days but decided to play a waiting game with the option for emergency surgery if I got any worse, they preferred to wait if at all possible for the infection to be cleared. This is what happened eventually, a couple of months after the infection was cleared.

 

[bbb]

My friends blood is showing it is sterlie, so they do not think the infection is active at this time. They are hoping for a repair. Because vegetation has broken offr and he already had a stroke, they want to do the emergent surgery. It will be on Tuesday at 8am MDT. Please send all prayers! Thanks!

Betsy

 

[bbb]

My friend David had successful surgery to repair his mitral valve and get rid of the endocarditis. What a relief, there was so much unknown and it was a roller coaster. He had a spiking fever yesterday, so surgery was scary. He is doing really well and they removed the vegetation that had caused embolic activity that caused a stroke last week and his fever is down.

What are the success rates of mitral valve repair? Also can anyone weigh in on future risks of embolic activity now that source is removed...could little pieces be lodged other places where they might dislodge at any time?

Thanks, Betsy

 

[Marguerite53]

I have no answers, but I wanted to chime in and say how glad I am for you all that your friend seems to be pulling through with flying colors. I hope that any problems associated with his stroke can be easily managed.... is he okay from that?

Please remember to take care of yourself through all of this, too!!

Best wishes to all.

Marguerite

 

[zipper2]

I'm sorry to hear about your friend...prayers to all
as i said in your other post in 2006 i had endo
so they say hasnot hit my valves ,mech or my owm mitral
which they say is full of rhuematic fever that they are
to do surgery soon on mitral but ive mentioned it to my
surgeon to see if anything amounted at all for the mitral
as i find it hard to believe at times i was lucky to catch
it with antibiotics,but if they do see anything regarding
endo i will let you know after surgery,right now its rhuematic
occording to every test done in 2 years and say the aortic
mech. is like new from 16 years.

zipper2 (DEB)

 

[Bugsy]

I had a mitral valve replacement while I had endocarditis. I don't remember much but I do remember my Cardiologist, Infectious Disease Doctor and Surgeon all arguing about when the surgery would take place. The Surgeon wanted to go immediately before any vegetation broke off and the Infectious Disease Doctor wanted to wait until the infection was under control. I ended up having mitral valve replacement surgery about 3 days after the diagnosis. They kept me in the hospital a little over a week after the surgery and performed CT scans to make sure the bacteria hadn't spread to my spleen or any other organ. The surgeon wanted me out about 2 days after the operation but the Infectiouis Disease Doctor wouldnt let me out until he knew the infection was under control. I was on gentamicin IV for about a month and had another antibiotic through through a pic line/pump for about 12 weeks. I wish you and your friend all the best.

 

[bbb]

Thanks for all the support. David has done great, walking 3 times within 30 hours of his surgery! And eating up a storm, unbelievable, as I had surgery a year ago and was not quite up to that speed! I think his body was so thankful to get rid of that infection!

Anyway, looks like he will go home on the weekend, be on coumadin for 6 weeks to 3 months (because of ring around mitral valve). Then he will be on roceferin for 6 weeks IV, and suggested to be on an oral antibiotic for a full year to prevent any reoccurring endocarditis.

I will ask about possibility bacteria is in any major organs and Cat scan to detect that...that has not been mentioned so far. also it was suggested he had a bit more risk of brain bleed on coumadin because of embolic activity that has left scarring in the brain.

Thanks, Marguerite, I am taking good care of myself, too...or trying at least!

Betsy

 

[zipper2]

Thankfully he has a picline to deal with a month of antibiotics
Thank-you for update Betsy and im sending good thoughts for
your friend....take care.

zipper2 (DEB)

 

[MandyMV]

Sorry I was on vacation when this was happening so I am just catching up on reading your thread. Ryan had surgery two weeks after he was diagnosed. They wanted to wait but his infection was so bad the antibiotics weren't killing the vegetation and he was in CHF. Luckily we are a year out and he is doing well. However, he did have some residual issues from the vegetation emboli that went to his brain. His stroke cause partial loss of his eyesight and after doing an angiogram to look closer at his blood vessels they found an aneurysm that had to be glued. He was lucky to be at a hospital where insurance doesn't matter so every test possible was done to make sure he was ok. I would just make sure he gets the cat scan of his organs and a look at his brain blood vessels if possible since he had the stroke.
All the best
Theresa