SUCCESSFUL SURGICAL-CORRECTION OF AN EMBOLIZED PROSTHETIC VALVE POPPET - CASE-REPORT

Abstract

Embolization of a prosthetic valve poppet, a rare complication following valve replacement, was until recently, generally fatal. Immediate recognition followed by replacement of the poppet or valve and extraction of the embolized poppet is the only feasible approach. In a patient seen shortly after the onset of acute pulmonary edema with wide-open mitral regurgitation, a diagnosis of extrusion of the poppet from a previously placed prosthetic valve was confirmed and a successful mitral valve replacement accomplished. The nonradiopaque poppet, subsequently localized by an ultrasound B-scan, was removed from the lower abdominal aorta at a later operation. This is probably the 2nd reported case of survival following successful reoperation for embolization of a prosthetic poppet.