If you receive a donor human heart valve, animal tissue heart valve or a mechanical heart valve, you will be put on anticoagulant medication so that no blood clots form on or around the newly replaced valve. People who receive mechanical heart valve will have to take anticoagulant medication, also known as blood thinner, for the rest of their lives.
Nowadays it is quite common for doctors to prescribe anticoagulant medication along with platelet inhibiting medication. One of the drugs that is most frequently prescribed to inhibit platelets is aspirin. Low dose of aspirin along with anticoagulant medication is prescribed after heart valve replacement surgery to reduce the risk of embolism in patients.
The doctor will prescribe the required dose of aspirin and anticoagulant based on your medical condition. It is important that you follow the doctor's instructions. The low dose of aspirin and the anticoagulant will increase the time it takes for your blood to clot and this, in turn, allows all the damaged blood cells to be taken away from around the newly replaced heart valve. Thus, the chances of a clot forming reduce dramatically.However, when you are taking low dose of aspirin after a heart valve replacement surgery, you can suffer from bleeding. In case you have cloudy urine, black motions, pain in the abdomen or weakness, you should immediately report the symptoms to your doctor. On the other hand, when you taking low dose of aspirin and anticoagulant medication, your blood will be closely monitored by the doctor.
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