Heart Valve Replacement Contributions by ColleenO

Possible Complications

If you are planning to have heart valve replacement, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Infection
• Blood clots formation around the valve, which can cause a stroke , kidney damage, or damage to the extremities
• New valve does not work properly
• Bleeding
• Anesthesia-related problems
• Death

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Pre-existing heart or lung condition
• Advanced age
• Recent or long-term illness
• Stroke
• Recent infection

Call Your Doctor

After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Coughing up blood
• Rapid heart rate
• Sudden headache or feeling faint
• Problems with vision or speaking
• Numbness or weakness on one side of your body
• Inability to urinate
• Pain, burning, urgency, frequency of urination, or persistent bleeding in the urine
• Pain and/or swelling in your feet, calves, or legs

In case of an emergency, call 911immediately.