Successful surgical correction of an embolized prosthetic valve poppet: case report

Embolization of a prosthetic valve poppet, a rare complication following valve replacement, has been, until recently, generally fatal. Immediate recognition followed by replacement of the poppet or valve and extraction of the embolized poppet is the only feasible approach. Recently, a patient was seen was seen shortly after the onset of acute pulmonary edema with wide-open mitral regurgitation. A diagnosis of extrusion of the poppet from a previously placed prosthetic valve was confirmed and a successful mitral valve replacement accomplished. The nonradiopaque poppet, subsequently localized by an ultrasound B-sac, was removed from the lower abdominal aorta at a later operation. We believe this to be the second reported case of survival following successful reoperation for embolization of a prosthetic poppet.