Hi,I am Dr. Prabhakar Koregol (Cardiologist). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
My 86 year old father has been just told he needs an aorta valve replacement. His test results have substantially changed in a year. He has a pacemaker and stent now. The cardiologist states he is at high risk for stroke, heart attack, kidney failture and/or pneumonia if he has the surgery. He states he could go at any time or he could live for another five years without the surgery. I don't know what to do.
Its true that surgery at this age is very risky and death rate is very high. If the patient is not having much symptoms like shortness of breath at the moment then surgery can be deferred. Any way my personal advice is not to subject him surgery because of high risk considering his age. Although I don't have the detailed profile of the patient so you can take opinion of your real world cardiologist.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards, Dr. Sagar Makode
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Suggest Suitable Treatment For Heart Disease
Hello and welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. Its true that surgery at this age is very risky and death rate is very high. If the patient is not having much symptoms like shortness of breath at the moment then surgery can be deferred. Any way my personal advice is not to subject him surgery because of high risk considering his age. Although I don t have the detailed profile of the patient so you can take opinion of your real world cardiologist. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Sagar Makode