You’ve been told your heart valve is severe.
Someone has mentioned surgery or a keyhole procedure like TAVI.
It’s a big moment.
You might be thinking:
- “Is this really necessary?”
- “Am I too old for this?”
- “What if I make the wrong choice?”
This guide is for you – especially if you’re over 65 – and for anyone supporting you.
It does not tell you what to choose. It helps you get ready to ask the right questions, so the choice is clearer.
Why these decisions are shared – not handed down
In the past, you might have been told, “This is what we’re doing,” and that was that.
Nowadays, for heart valve problems, decisions are usually made by a Heart Team – heart doctors, heart surgeons, imaging specialists and others working together. They look at:
- how severe your valve problem is
- your age and general health
- your symptoms and test results
- what matters most to you
Then they talk things through with you, not just about you.
That’s called shared decision-making.
Your job is not to become an expert overnight.
Your job is to be ready to ask the questions that help you understand their advice.
You don’t need a long list – just four key areas
When people Google “questions to ask before heart surgery”, they get pages and pages of ideas. That can be more frightening than helpful.
Instead, think about covering four key areas:
- What’s going on with my heart now?
- What are my options?
- What are the risks, benefits and recovery like?
- How will this fit with my life and follow-up?
If you have one or two questions in each area, you’re already doing brilliantly.
Area 1 – Understanding what’s going on now
Before talking about surgery or TAVI, it helps to be clear on the basics.
You might ask:
- “How severe is my valve problem now?”
- “Is my heart muscle coping, or is it under strain?”
- “What symptoms are you most concerned about?”
Plain English answers to those give you a solid starting point.
If anything is unclear, it’s fine to say:
“Could you explain that again in simpler terms?”
You are not being awkward. You’re doing exactly what the team wants – making sure you understand.
Area 2 – What are my options now (and if we wait)?
For many people there is more than one possible path:
- surgery
- TAVI (a catheter-based valve replacement) in some cases
- careful monitoring for a while longer
You might ask:
- “For someone like me, what are the realistic options?”
- “What are the pros and cons of surgery for me?”
- “Am I a candidate for TAVI – and if not, why not?”
- “What happens if we wait and keep an eye on things instead?”
The aim is not to push for one option.
The aim is to understand what’s on the table – and what isn’t – in your specific situation.
Area 3 – Risks, benefits and recovery
No operation or procedure is risk-free.
Equally, doing nothing can carry risks too, especially with severe valve disease.
Helpful questions here include:
- “What are the main risks of this operation or procedure for someone my age and health?”
- “What are the benefits you hope I will see – in terms of symptoms and long-term outlook?”
- “Roughly how long might I be in hospital?”
- “How long does recovery usually take before people get back to everyday activities?”
You don’t need exact percentages for everything.
What you do need is a clear picture of:
- what the doctors are hoping treatment will achieve
- what the main downsides are
- how that compares with leaving things as they are
Area 4 – How will this fit with my life?
This part sometimes gets missed in clinic, but it’s crucial.
You might ask:
- “How will this affect my independence in the short term?”
- “When might I be able to drive again?”
- “I care for someone / live alone – how can we plan for that while I recover?”
- “Will this likely give me more good years of being active?”
It also helps to ask:
- “How often will I be followed up after surgery or TAVI?”
- “What symptoms or changes should make me call for help quickly?”
This is about fitting the plan around the life you want – not just around the scan.
How MyCareQuestions turns worry into a clear question list
You might be thinking:
“I’ll never remember all this on my own.”
That’s exactly where MyCareQuestions (MCQ) comes in.
It’s a simple tool that helps you create a Heart Valve Consultation Pack when you’re facing big decisions like surgery or TAVI.
Step 1: Tell your story
MCQ asks you, in everyday language, about:
- your symptoms
- how they limit you
- your other health problems and tablets
- what you’ve been told so far
- what you’re most worried about, and what you hope for
You don’t need to know any special medical terms.
You just answer honestly, in your own words.
Step 2: See suggested questions – tailored to you
Based on what you’ve said, MCQ suggests questions in the four areas above.
You’ll see things like:
- “What are the realistic options for someone in my situation?”
- “What does this operation aim to change in my everyday life?”
- “What happens if we don’t treat the valve yet?”
You can:
- tick the ones that matter
- re-phrase them
- add your own
Important:
MCQ does not tell you:
- “You should have surgery”
- “You must choose TAVI”
- “This is too risky for you”
Those judgements belong to you and your heart team.
MCQ’s job is to help you ask the questions that make their advice understandable.
Step 3: Print or save your decision-ready pack
At the end, you get:
- your MyLife Summary
- your personal question list
- a QR code you can let your team scan if you wish
You can print it or have it on your phone.
Many people find simply holding the paper in their hand in clinic makes them feel more confident and calmer.
“What if I’m scared of asking too much?”
It’s very common to worry about being seen as “pushy”.
In reality:
- Teams who specialise in valve disease expect questions.
- National guidelines talk about shared decision-making – doctors and patients deciding together.
- Tools that help patients prepare questions have been shown to improve understanding and satisfaction, without taking up lots more time.
You are not being demanding.
You are doing your part in a very serious conversation about your heart and your future.
What to do before your next visit
If you have an appointment coming up to discuss valve surgery or TAVI:
- Accept that feeling worried is normal.
- Decide you won’t go in “cold” – you will prepare.
- Use MyCareQuestions to create your Heart Valve Consultation Pack.
- Take it with you and use it.
You don’t have to do this perfectly.
Just doing it at all puts you ahead of where most people are when they walk into clinic.
Ready to turn worry into clear questions?
Start your Heart Valve Consultation Pack.
Want to read more?
If you like to see trusted information for yourself, these organisations have helpful guides about heart valve disease, surgery and TAVI:
- NHS – heart valve disease: symptoms, tests and treatments
- British Heart Foundation – patient booklets and videos on valve disease and valve surgery
- European and American heart societies – professional guidelines on how valve decisions should be made by Heart Teams and shared with patients
