Septal Defect Membrenous Septum following Endocarditis and Valve Replacement

[Chad]

Has anyone here ever had a hole appear in their heart after a valve replacement?

I had a valve repair in June 2002 and then a Valve Replacement in August 2002. Last week I was doing a normal check-up and my cardiologist heard a murmur he did not like. After a TEE it turned out to be a hole in the wall between my chambers. The technical name is Septal Defect Membrenous Septum and it may have been caused by the initial bacterial infection (FEB2002) endocarditis. The doctors told me that it was a real Zebra, a odd thing, as it is a rare thing to happen. Has anyone had any experience.

 

[RWS]

I had a Septal Defect hole patched due to endocarditis but it was done at the time of AVR. Septal defects are associated with endocarditis but I have no idea about your possible delayed reaction, odd.

 

[Chad]

It sounds like it is indeed a strange thing. One theory is that the Septal wall was weakened by the endocarditis (bacteria infection) and that over time, almost 2 years, the movement of the mitral valve ring assembly with each beat of the heart caused the weakened area to fail. Please note that the surgeon said that in 15 years of surgery he had only seen this happen once, and that was much closer to the time of replacement. In other words please don't worry about this happening to you in regards to valve replacement, it is one of those really random things, kinda like Endocarditis in the first place.

 

[Harpoon]

On the flip side (being one who has had an INDUCED septal defect, because of all the other crap I was born with) it's not uncommon for people to get to be 30, 40, 50+ years old with a septal defect of some variety. The definition encompasses ANY hole in the wall seperating either the atria or the ventricles. The severity depends on the size of the hole and why it's there...

I guess it's not unreasonable to suspect that a bout with endocarditis could have weakened the septal wall and the stress of the artificial valve caused the weakened wall to open up over time. It's not like a sudden "ripping" kind of thing, more like the tissues just wore away over time.

VSD's and ASD's are so common these days that they're almost routine in repairing. Your situation might be a little more complicated by the prior surgery and the presense of the artificial valve, dunno.

Some VSD's are done through the leg now, minimally invasive.

They can also go through the side, under your right armpit...