Listen as Dr. Aklog shares how women can prevent heart valve infections.
Dr. Aklog:
So that’s a good question. Abnormal heart valves can actually be prone to developing infections, and so it’s important in patients who have abnormal heart valves to be very conscientious about the types of ways that bacteria can get in the bloodstream to cause an infection, and a very common method for that to happen are procedures such as dental work where the actual manipulation of the teeth can cause small amounts of bacteria to enter the bloodstream and stick to abnormal heart valves.
So patients who have the most severe types of abnormal heart valves or those who have had heart valve surgery should really talk to their doctors to determine whether they should be given antibiotics prior to either dental work or other invasive procedures that might potentially lead to a heart valve infection.
About Dr. Aklog, M.D.:
Dr. Lishan Aklog is the current Director and Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at The Heart and Lung Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona and Director of EmpowHer's Medical Advisory Board. Specializing in adult cardiac care, he graduated from Harvard College followed by Harvard Medical School. Dr. Aklog was a cardiothoracic resident at Brigham and Women’s/Boston Children’s Hospital, an Associate Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and completed international fellowships in London, England and Paris, France.
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https://www.empowher.com/users/dr-lishan-aklog
Visit Dr. Aklog at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center