Dad came home two days after TAVR and he is muddled and sleeping most of the day. Is that normal or should I be ringing someone?

#1Kath M(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 10, 2026, 7:30 pm

Posting for my dad who is 86. TAVR on Tuesday, home Thursday afternoon. Before the procedure he was very breathless but sharp as anything, does the crossword in pen.

Since he came home he has slept most of today, and when he is awake he is a bit vague. Asked me twice where his glasses were and called the cat by our old dog's name. Eating a bit, drinking tea, no temperature that I can find. His groin looks bruised but not swollen.

The discharge letter says ring if he has chest pain, bleeding or breathlessness and he has none of those. But nobody said anything about confusion. Am I overreacting? It is Friday night and I do not want to drag him back to A&E if this is just tiredness.

#2frankm1952(Joined Apr 2026 · 19 posts)October 10, 2026, 8:45 pm

I slept for about two days solid when I got home, Kath. Hospital nights are terrible, the machines beep all night. I was not confused though, so I cannot speak to that part.

#3Edith R(Joined May 2026 · 12 posts)October 11, 2026, 8:15 am

My neighbour's husband was muddled for a few days after a hip operation and it turned out to be a water infection. I would mention it to someone, even if it is just a phone call.

#4Dr. Helena VossClinical reviewer(Joined Jan 2026 · 58 posts)October 11, 2026, 10:05 am

Kath M said:

nobody said anything about confusion

Kath, you are not overreacting, and it is right to ask. Tiredness and some muddle in the first days after any hospital stay are common in older people, particularly after broken nights, new surroundings and new tablets, and often settle once they are home and sleeping in their own bed. But new confusion should be reported rather than waited out, because it can have causes that need treatment, such as an infection, dehydration or a medicine side effect, and in rare cases it can be a sign of a stroke, which is a recognised risk around TAVR.

So the practical answer is: ring today. Use the valve team's number on the discharge letter if there is one, or your out of hours service or NHS 111 if not, and tell them what you have told us. Call an ambulance straight away if he develops any sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, a drooping face, slurred speech or trouble understanding, chest pain, a fainting episode, or if he becomes very drowsy and hard to wake. Those cannot wait.

In the meantime, keep him drinking, check his tablets against the discharge list, because changes at discharge are a common source of muddle, and keep an eye on his temperature. The guide to TAVR recovery covers what is normal in the first week. I cannot assess your dad from here, and his team can.

#5Kath M(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 11, 2026, 3:40 pm

Rang 111 this morning. They sent a GP out this afternoon who checked him over and did a urine dip. Urine infection, as Edith suspected. Antibiotics started. GP was happy his heart and groin are fine and said to ring back if he is not brighter in 48 hours.

#6Kath M(Joined Oct 2026 · 4 posts)October 22, 2026, 6:20 pm

Update for anyone who finds this. He was much brighter within three days of the antibiotics and is back to the crossword, in pen, and walking round the block with me in the afternoons. The valve team rang for a check call and noted it all. Glad I asked rather than waited for Monday.