Valves coming undone

[Sean L]

I was wondering how often mechanical valves coem undone after they are sewn in? I have read this happen to some of the people on here and I am curious if it happens often.

I had thought that the sewn valves are eventually held in by tissue that grows over the sutures. Am I wrong here? Or do the sutures hold the valve in place for good?

Thanks,

Sean

 

[Karlynn]

It's not something you need to worry about. I suppose it could come loose from the sewing ring if your surgeon doesn't know how to sew. It would be more likely that you'd develop a leak there. There was a few reports of a valve many, many years ago "breaking apart". This was well before I got my valve.

If you are worried about sudden death from a valve coming apart on you - I wouldn't worry.

Edit: I didn't mean to intimate that there couldn't be problems with some of the sutures coming loose. That can happen on rare occasions with any valve. But I don't think you need to worry about the valve just giving way.

 

[wxman]

My valve developed a leak around the edges due to sutures pulling loose from the heart tissue. It is a function of the heart tissue more than anything. This occurred in the first year or two. The leak eventually became quite significant. However...I am 5 years down the road and still getting by. The leakage is being closely monitored and I will likely have a second surgery down the road.

My cardio said this is an uncommon occurrence...maybe something like less than 5 percent.

 

[dick0236]

I wouldn't worry too much. It is possible for sutures to tear loose, but not very likely. For what its worth, I wondered the same thing. My valve is a "ball in cage" and I also worried about it getting stuck in the closed position. I don't think about those things anymore.

I hope someone answeres your question about the tissue growing around the valve or if the sutures continue to hold it in place. I'm curious about that too.

 

[Duff Man]

well this thread is suddenly quite terrifying.

 

[Karlynn]

Aaron - don't let it be. None of this valve stuff come with 100% guarantee. The bad things that are discussed are in the single digit range. We don't want to terrify people, but we don't want them to be blissfully unaware either.

 

[dick0236]

I apologise(?) if my comments scared anyone. That was not my intent. These thoughts of "what if" are very normal and have been felt by the majority of valve replacement patients. I am one of the "old timers" and sometimes I post only to help reassure a "new timer" that their feelings are very normal, even if unlikely.

 

[njean]

I guess I have to catagorize myself as an "old-timer" too in a sense even though I'm 57 but I have an old-timer style, ball in cage type Mitral valve that has been in place for 33 years the 23rd of this month as a matter of fact & a 2-year old Aortic valve that was "swapped" out in Mar/06 so I'm pretty much an "odd-ball!"

As for valves tearing loose, that happened to me after my 1st OHS in 1975. Six months after the surgery, I had to go back to Houston to have the Mitral mechanical valve resewn in place because the sutures had worked themselves loose. However, my situation was not a common occurence & this was most likely caused by a very traumatic happening after my first surgery.

(I went through a very painful divorce right after my surgery & I had to move all my things out from the home I was sharing w/my ex-husband. And since we all know that lifting & exerting ourselves right after surgery is a NO-NO, well, I learned the very hard way.)

So like I said, tearing of the sutures is not common & I think you should put this out of your mind completely & enjoy your new lease on life!

Best wishes!

 

[kfay]

I asked my cardiologist about this the day before my surgery and she said I should not worry about it...it very rarely happens and if it did I would easily be able to get to the hospital to get it repaired. In other words, it wouldn't be a sudden death situation.

Kim

 

[Susan BAV]

Waking on the vent was such an extremely horrible situation for me this past heart surgery and as I struggled to communicate with the psycho who left the lung sucker on my gag reflex and as I struggled to get untied I remember thinking, "This can't be good for all of those new stitches..."

 

[njean]

Waking on the vent was such an extremely horrible situation for me this past heart surgery and as I struggled to communicate with the psycho who left the lung sucker on my gag reflex and as I struggled to get untied I remember thinking, "This can't be good for all of those new stitches..."

Yep, I know what you mean!!

 

[Sean L]

Thanks everyone for your input. I am a worrier.

 

[tobagotwo]

Generally, tissue does grow over the stitches and make the whole fully as sturdy and integrated as the original.

Aside from a few unusual cases of trauma, and very rare surgeon-dropped stitches, this type of problem is mostly limited to those who have severe degenerative tissue problems (myxomatous tissue). Fortunately, when it does happen, people often go for many years without having it replaced without it making a big difference in their lifestyle. I remember a gentleman from this site named Les who ran regularly for years with that issue.

It's to be noted that the incidence of this should grow even smaller in the coming years, as soft closure engineering and newer pivot styles are taking some of the "hammer" out of the valves, making them friendlier for those with difficult tissue.

Best wishes,

 

[LUVMyBirman]

There was 'brief' cause for concern after my MVR. One of the sutures around the sewing ring did break away. I was monitored closely (2 years) Eventually, tissue covered the area.

All is well. It's been 9 years. Not a trace of a leak.

 

[Bryan B]

Sean and Aaron,

Here is what you need to be reading...the signature under ****'s posts.

Starr-Edwards mechanical aortic valve implanted 1967 at age 31. Univ. of KY Med. Ctr., Lexington KY. No surgery (heart or otherwise) since. On Warfarin ACT since surgery. No disability or lifestyle restrictions.

He's had the same valve functioning for him for close to 40 years. You can drive yourself nuts concentrating on the possible negatives (which are relatively uncommon) or you can concentrate on the positives...that you have made it through your valve surgery and you are on your way back to living a healthy and productive life. Life itself is full of "what if's". If we were to dwell on all of the "what if's" in life it would be hard to leave the house. My suggestion is to continue to do the right things to insure a full recovery and then live your life to the fullest without worrying about your valve. I'm not saying to ignore the fact that you've had valve surgery, only that you not let it consume your life.