What happens if I delay necessary cardiac surgery?

Q: What happens if I delay necessary cardiac surgery?

Delaying surgery when it’s clearly indicated can result in permanent damage to your heart muscle and valves. If severe blockages or valve disease are left untreated, the heart enlarges and weakens. This remodeling may not reverse even after surgery. Waiting too long increases your surgical risk, complication rate, and chances of heart failure, stroke, or sudden death. Evidence consistently shows that surgery performed before decompensation leads to better outcomes than waiting until the heart has already deteriorated. Decisions should be based on objective measurements such as ejection fraction, valve gradients, and chamber size - not only on how you feel.

Question

Accepted Answer

Delaying surgery when it’s clearly indicated can result in permanent damage to your heart muscle and valves.

If severe blockages or valve disease are left untreated, the heart enlarges and weakens. This remodeling may not reverse even after surgery. Waiting too long increases your surgical risk, complication rate, and chances of heart failure, stroke, or sudden death.

Evidence consistently shows that surgery performed before decompensation leads to better outcomes than waiting until the heart has already deteriorated. Decisions should be based on objective measurements such as ejection fraction, valve gradients, and chamber size - not only on how you feel.