An Overview of Life Expectancy After Aortic Valve Replacement
People who have been told that they need an
aortic valve replacement are naturally concerned about their expected results, including their life expectancy after
aortic valve replacement surgery. Both the success of your aortic valve replacement surgery and your life expectancy will depend on a number of factors. Some of these factors include:
- Your age
- Your overall health
- The severity of your illness
- The type of replacement valve used (see Types of Aortic Valve Replacements)
- Whether any short-term or long-term complications occur.
Because these factors directly affect your life expectancy, your doctor is the best person to discuss the expected results for your particular situation.
Discussing Life Expectancy After Aortic Valve Replacement
When doctors discuss a person's prognosis, including their life expectancy, they carefully consider all of the factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment, and then try to predict what might happen.
The doctor will base the prognosis on information researchers have collected over many years about hundreds or even thousands of people in a similar situation. When possible, the doctor will use statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient.
The doctor may speak of a favorable prognosis if the condition is likely to respond well to treatment. The prognosis may be unfavorable if the condition is likely to be difficult to treat, even with surgery. However, it is important to keep in mind that a prognosis is only a prediction; the doctor cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.
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