My husband went to the doctor today, then called to say he won't be coming home because he has infective endocarditis. They sent him to another, larger, hospital in the region. Hours later he called and said that he needs surgery on the valve and they are moving him to another part of the country. I've been trying to read about it but I'm not sure I understand. What I've read says that they have to treat the infection with penicillin first, the he can have surgery. However, he's telling me he might have surgery when he get to the other hospital. He needs a new valve. Does this mean that his condition is worse than those I've read about or that they are simply doing things differently? Also, if you know. Does other illnesses make the risks much higher? He's got aspergillus in his lungs and have had 2/3 of the lungs removed. He has an immune deficiency (HIES) and he is physically weak from being sick. I know it's not good, but how bad is it?
Infectious endocarditis. Of course, any endocarditis is an infection. Rather like saying an 'infectious cold.' You will need to discuss this with his doctor to get good information. That means you go where he is. If you need to you make an appointment with the doctor at his office to find out. No way to know what kind of heart value issue he has or what other kind of heart condition he has.
A leaky heart valve is a common cause of endocarditis, Endocarditis is a dangerous situation under any circumstance. The heart problem probably needs to be fixed to enable the endocarditis to clear up. The lung infection places him under added stress and increases the chances of something going wrong from the surgery, but he probably faces even higher risk in the long term if the endocarditis isn't brought under control. The surgery will only place a minor amount of additional stress on his body, and the valve replacement will probably make some almost instant improvements in his strength. Heart valve surgery can be usually be done with an endoscope that doesn't involve much trauma, so the surgical procedure itself is not a big risk.. I'm sure they would not be considering surgery at this point if it were not needed to help him recover.
There are risks in any surgery - no matter how major or minor. Overall health condition also plays an important role in his recovery. Being he has an infection which could be life-threatening, treating him and having him go through this procedure gives him more chance of survival. The doctors have weighed the pros and cons of him having this procedure and feel this is the best way to proceed. They will do their best to help and take care of him.
