Rheumatic heart disease, linked to rare rheumatic fever, leads to high-risk, complex operation—one that many heart surgeons will only encounter once or twice in their careers.
A 64-year-old man with advanced rheumatic heart disease recently underwent a rare and complex three-valve heart replacement surgery at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center—an operation performed by Dr. Marc Sakwa, medical director, adult cardiovascular surgery, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center. This type of surgery, which accounts for fewer than 2% of all valve procedures, is so uncommon that most heart surgeons encounter it only once or twice in their careers, and most surgeons will never do a case as complicated as this one.
The patient arrived at the emergency room with cardiac complications from rheumatic fever. These complications occurred because of untreated strep throat caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria during his childhood. While the illness is now rarely seen in the United States due to widespread antibiotic use, it can trigger an autoimmune response that damages the heart, leading to rheumatic heart disease. This condition causes inflammation and scarring of the heart valves, resulting in narrowing or leakage that often requires surgical intervention…