Ask a Texas Heart Institute Doctor
Informed patients make better patients.
Question:
Does my father need to stay on any of the drugs other than warfarin?
My father recently had open heart surgery to replace 2 valves (mechanical and tissue), a maze procedure and a triple bypass. He never had a history of heart disease: never high cholesterol, high blood pressure, never overweight, always ate well and exercised. Now his cardiologist wants to keep him on meds we assumed he would be off once recovered. Also Dad perfed a gastric ulcer post op and nearly bled to death. I've been reading negative things about Lipitor. Does he need to stay on any of the drugs other than warfarin? (plavix, lipitor, lisinopril, lasix) .
submitted by Cindy from Flagstaff, Arizona on 3/16/10
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Roberto Lufschanowski, MD
Dear Cindy: Your father's case is obviously complicated and you should ask these questions to his cardiologist that knows the case well. In regard to Lipitor, it is a very safe drug and used in patients like your father. The rest of the medications are given for specific problems and only his physician is qualified to make that decision. Sincerely,
See also on this site:
Has your question or a similar one already been answered?
Search all the Heart Doctor questions and answers.
| Heart Information Center services are made possible in part by a generous gift from the Hamill Foundation. |
Updated March 2010
