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Heart valve surgery

• Overview
• Recovery
• Risks

Alternative Names:

Valve replacement; Valve repair; Heart valve prosthesis

Risks:

The risks for any anesthesia include:

• Reactions to medications
• Problems breathing

The risks for any surgery include:

• Bleeding
• Infection

The risks for cardiac surgery include:

• Death
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Arrhythmia
• Kidney failure
• Temporary postoperative confusion due to the heart-lung machine

It is very important to take steps to prevent valve infections. Therefore, you may need to take antibiotics indefinitely, or before dental work and other invasive procedures.

• Review Date: 5/30/2006
• Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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