Conrad Louis Clevlen, the fiancé of Cheval, a wedding dress designer formerly known as Hayley Paige, spent a week in the intensive care unit after experiencing endocarditis following what she calls a ‘botched dental surgery,’ on social media.
“A rare infection got into Conrad’s heart, causing strokes and embolisms, and ultimately deteriorated his aortic heart valve,” she wrote on Instagram. “He had to have emergency open heart surgery three Fridays ago, spent a week in the ICU, and is now recovering at home.”
Endocarditis occurs when bacteria, fungi or other pathogens enter the bloodstream and cause potentially fatal inflammation in the endocardium, the innermost lining of the heart’s chambers and valves, according to the Mayo Clinic. People who do not receive prompt treatment can experience damage to their heart valves, the Mayo Clinic notes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include:
- Pain while breathing
- Joint and muscle aches
- Exhaustion
- Fever and chills
- Struggling to breath
- Sweating at night
- Feet, legs or abdomen swelling
- A new onset heart murmur
Treatment depends on the severity of the endocarditis with medications and surgery playing a role in resolving it.
The American Heart Association notes that some patients at risk for complications with endocarditis — such as people with prosthetic cardiac valves and people who have had endocarditis before — sometimes take prophylaxis antibiotics before dental procedures.
The organization notes that this is a small percentage of patients and people can lower their risk of developing endocarditis by regularly seeing a dentist, brushing their teeth, using dental floss and employing other plaque removal methods.
Cheval praises her partner of six years and wrote: “You’ve always managed to exercise practicality above all else through ridiculousness and hold to your virtues during life’s scariest unforeseen challenges.”