On-X Aortic Valves and Strokes

[Bear]

Received a On-X Aortic Valve in March of 2010, December 2011 survived a stroke the doctors say should have killed me. They also can't explain why it happened. INR numbers have been good. Has anyone heard of anyone having trouble like this?

 

[Roberta]

Hi Bear,
Welcome to this forum, but am also sorry to hear of your situation. I don't have an ON-X valve and unfortunately cannot help you out.
Hopefully a member will be able to chime in to help you with this one. I do recall reading that there is a very small percentage per year of having a stroke with a mechanical or bioprosthetic valve, but am not sure of the exact reasons other than INR issues.

Hope that you are making some progress in your recovery from this.

All the very best,

 

[chaconne]

I got an On-X Aortic valve on November 7, 2011 and had, what may have been, a "stroke" to my right eye a week later (Amaurosis fugax). I doubt it had to do with the On-X as much as just the surgery and change to my heart. If anything, I would think the stroke events are lower on these valves. I think it just happens to some of us regardless.

At the time my INR was 2.2, which should be fine for an aortic mechanical. I am at low risk, and healthy otherwise. I have not had any more such incidents since (4.5 months post AVR).

I'm sorry to hear you had a stroke. Hopefully it will never happen again.

-Steve

 

[ElectLive]

Bear - All prosthetic valves are slightly prone (more so than the general population with normal heart valves) to cause a stroke even under the best of circumstances. The risk overall is very low (1% per year or less) but it happens, obviously as you unfortunately know. The risk is highest immediately following the surgery and generally for the first 3 months or so. After that, for those with mechanical valves, it can still happen even when anticoagulation is perfectly controlled. And for those with tissue valves, it happens too. There of course are also patients with prosthetic valves who suffer a stroke for reasons other than the valve. Since there are a lot of risk factors for stroke (increasing age, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, inactive lifestyle, among others), have your doctors determined if there are any non-valve factors?

Obviously, sorry you are joining us under these circumstances, but welcome to the community all the same. Wishing you the best from here on out.

 

[Julian]

Received a On-X Aortic Valve in March of 2010, December 2011 survived a stroke the doctors say should have killed me. They also can't explain why it happened. INR numbers have been good. Has anyone heard of anyone having trouble like this?

So sorry to hear that you suffered this. It's possible the stroke was completely unrelated to the valve, as others have stated there is a 101 reasons for a stroke. Unfortunately for us with mechanical valves of course there is always a "higher" risk of stroke no matter what which just plain sucks.

I'm curious to know like ElectLive stated are there other stroke risk factors you personally may have besides the valve itself, there are 101 pre existing conditions people have unrelated to the heart that can raise risk of stroke.

Again so sorry you had to endure this, have you made a full recover?

 

[Bear]

Doing well at the moment. Getting used to the new me. Thanks to local Emergency teams, I was taken care of quickly. The removal of the clot saved my life.

 

[Bear]

Doing well at the moment. Getting used to the new me.

 

[Bear]

Doing well at the moment. Getting used to the new me. The removal of the clot saved my life.

 

[sensei Ade]

Hi Steve,
I had amaurosis fugax as well about 10 days after my first round of surgery. The vision in my left eye totally grayed out for a couple of minutes, then came back again over the course of a few minutes. Very strange and quite freaky! I've never had it since then thankfully. I think the clear message here is to live as healthily as possible because of the slightly elevated stroke risk overall. We all need a stress free life! Easier said than done, right? . All the best.

sensei Ade

 

[markp66]

Yes, remember many people without mech valves have strokes also so it could have been nothing to do with the valve. G