Submitted by Dr T on May 16, 2013 – 8:23am
Question:
I was diagnosed with MVP about 13 yrs back and over time when had major invasive surgery I had to take antibiotics before (11 yrs back) and over time for some dental work too. I understand protocols have changed and I read a lot about not requiring antibiotic before dental work but not much about surgery. I have a surgery next month for my ankle. Seems have some torn ligaments and maybe some chipped bone (but wont know for sure until they go in I suppose as MRI supposedly doesn’t tell everything#. Am I supposed to get cardiac testing done and do I need antibiotics before surgery? Please advise. I don’t think I have significant MVP issues. My original diagnosis 13 yrs back was MVP with slight reguiration??? I think. Over time when docs find out and do echo etc, no one mentions anything much so I am not sure if I even have the slight reguiration #sp). Thanks for your help.
I agree you with that the Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) is probably not a serious condition in your case. Antibiotic prophylaxis is used to prevent an infection inside the heart (called Infective endocarditis) of susceptible patients. As an example, even a minor infection, such as a tooth abscess can cause severe bacterial endocarditis. However, recent recommendations for prophylactic antibiotic therapy before a procedure in patients with mitral valve and other cardiac diseases have changed and now include :
- Infective endocarditis is more likely to result from exposure to random bacterial infections associated with daily activities than caused by dental, GI tract, or GU (Read: no orthopedic) procedures.
Re: Evaluation and Management of the Asymptomatic Patient With Mitral Valve Prolapse (your situation):
- Antibiotic prophylaxis is no longer indicated in all patients with MVP for prevention of infective endocarditis.
I doubt your condition is an exception.
Hope this helps,