My mother is 80 years old and had a aorta valva replacement 13 years ago. Her valve is calcified at the connection to the heart and not working. She has a strong heart muscle. What are her chances of considering surgery or how much longer can she live with medicine compensation?
Hello, Thanks for writing to Chat Doctor, I am Chat Doctor. Surgery is usually considered after considering the pros and cons of the surgery, a surgeon would general weigh benefits over risks to see if he wants to do a surgery or not. A calcified valve only becomes an indication for surgery if it gets narrow enough that function of heart is compromised, patient faces black-outs, heart failure shortness of breathe episodes, chest pain, arrhythmias BP