Will Heart Surgery help my dad?

My father was told by his doctor he has a bad heart valve, and for him to feel better he should do heart surgery, and replace the bad valve with a ?pig or frog valve? not sure, but his main problem is his breathing, he can barely breathe at night, and i believe its from smoking 2 packs of ciggarettes for the last 20 years. Now do you think this heart surgery would help his breathing? Or will he feel the same way he does now like a nurse said?

I had my mitral valve replaced in April 2003. It did improve my breathing. Breathing problems was not why I had to have my valve replaced though, but it did improve my breathing. My mitral valve was basically just stopping, that is why I had to have it replaced (but the symptoms from this really affected my breathing among numerous other symptoms I was having before I had the surgery). I was 37 at the time.

But I did not have a pig valve though. I had a St Jude Mechanical Valve put in. They last for about 60-70 years. A pig valve at this moment only lasts for about 15 years. I don't know how old your father is but if he does decide to have this surgery he needs to take this into consideration. If he is a younger man and has a pig valve put in it may be likely that he will have to have the surgery re-done after 15 years and no one should have to go through this surgery but once if at all possible.

He also needs to quit smoking. If he quits smoking and does not have the valve replaced he will improve some, but if his valve is really "going bad" he will still have breathing problems with many other symptoms, but yes getting the valve replaced will improve his breathing but he should stop smoking and not smoke if he does get the valve replaced. If the doctor feels that he should do the heart surgery then he should seriously consider it.

Good luck.

yea they r replacing the non functioning part of his heart

It would be a pig valve, not a frog valve.
His breathing could be this way due to his lungs OR due to his heart. Heart failure (from his valve) and emphysema (from smoking) would both cause shortness of breath. Most likely, it is a combination of the two factors.
Yes his breathing may or may not improve if he has been a heavy smoker. But there usually are strong reasons why a person's valve gets replaced, and I believe if they did not think it was necessary then they would not ask him to have it. Contrary to what many people think, doctors do base their decisions on whether a certain procedure would help the patient or not. If they think its useless they will not do it.
Hope your father feels better.
CJ, talk about a stupid answer. Really.

I had a aortic valve replacement (bovine valve) put in last June. I also was a smoker for 20 yrs. (have quit now) and my breathing did get better and i no longer am sleeping in a upright position, however I still have shortness of breath when i do physical activity. This is due to the damage i have done to my lungs by smoking. The valve replacement saved my life. If a doctor suggest for your dad to have this done then it is serious and rated on a scale 3 or higher before surgery is needed.I was near death but now have a great outlook for my heart. I will tell you that it will be a long road back for your dad, (about 4 to 6 months) to feel normal . The valve will also have to be replaced every 10 to 15 years also. although it was tough to go through i would do it again to have a better quality of life now post opt. Good Luck, i will say a prayer for your dad.

Even though it sounds odd that repairing a heart valve (pig) would help his breathing, it's very possible.

When heart valves aren't functioning right, the lungs can easily be affected, resulting in shortness of breath.

The problem with his breathing could also be from his 20 year smoking habit. However, there is no doubt that the breathing problem could be caused by the bad valve.

Don't rule out the good possibility that a bad valve can cause shortness of breath. So can lung problems from smoking.

Depends what's wrong with the valve. If the valve is damaged, replacement is likely important. If the valve does not close, or closes only partially, his heart can't push oxygenated blood around the body. He feels he can't breathe. Oxygen can go in, but not get distributed.

He needs to stop smoking no matter what.

"Bad" is vague. Ask for an explanation of how it is operating now. A replacement will operate normally. There is just that small risk death in the surgery.

If an echocardiogram shows the valve is barely functioning, he does need to do something. If the problem is at night only, it may be workign well, but he needs a gradual exercise program to strengthen his heart.

Go back to the doctor, or see another one.

It's a pig valve, and yes a valve malfunction can effect breathing. Also not smoking wouldn't be a bad thing either!

Im really sorry that your dad has heart problems. My dad had really really really bad heart problems too. Also, my dad had lots of heart surgerys it did help him some. But later on in his years his heart just gave out, he was 69. Not 2 scare you or anything because my dad had 11 heart attacs so... I will pray for your dad and your family! I hope you will have better luck than me. God Bless!!!