Heart valve surgery
Alternative Names: Valve replacement; Valve repair; Heart valve prosthesis
Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves.
Blood that flows between different chambers of your heart must flow through a heart valve. Blood that flows out of your heart into large arteries must flow through a heart valve.
These valves open up enough so that blood can flow through. They then close, keeping blood from flowing backward.
There are four valves in your heart:
- Aortic valve
- Mitral valve
- Tricuspid valve
- Pulmonary valve
Description of Procedure
Before your surgery you will receive general anesthesia. You will be asleep and unable to feel pain.
In open surgery, the surgeon makes a large surgical cut in your breastbone to reach the heart and aorta. Most people are connected to a heart-lung bypass machine or bypass pump. Your heart is stopped while you are connected to this machine. This machine does the work of your heart while your heart is stopped.
Minimally invasive valve surgery is done through much smaller cuts than open surgery. Several different techniques are used:
- Laparoscopy or endoscopy
- Percutaneous surgery (through the skin)
- Robot-assisted surgery
If your surgeon can repair your valve, you may have:
- Ring annuloplasty -- The surgeon repairs the ring-like part around the valve by sewing a ring of metal, cloth, or tissue around the valve.
- Valve repair -- The surgeon trims, shapes, or rebuilds one or more of the leaflets of the valve. The leaflets are flaps that open and close the valve.
If your valve is too damaged, you will need a new valve. This is called valve replacement surgery. Your surgeon will remove your valve and put a new one in place. The main types of new valves are:
- Mechanical -- made of man-made materials, such as metal (stainless steel or titanium) or ceramic. These valves last the longest, but you will need to take blood-thinning medicine, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or aspirin, for the rest of your life.
- Biological -- made of human or animal tissue. These valves last 12 - 15 years, but you may not need to take blood thinners for life.
- In some cases, surgeons can use your own pulmonary valve to replace the damaged aortic valve. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with an artificial valve (this is called the Ross Procedure). This procedure is ideal for people who do not want to take blood thinners for the rest of their life.
For more detailed information, see:
- Aortic valve surgery - minimally invasive
- Aortic valve surgery - open
- Mitral valve surgery - minimally invasive
- Mitral valve surgery - open
Risks of Heart valve surgery
The risks for any anesthesia include:
- Problems breathing
- Reactions to medications
The risks for any surgery include:
- Bleeding
- Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
- Infection, including in the lungs, kidneys, bladder, chest, or heart valves
The risks for cardiac surgery include:
- Death
- Heart attack
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Kidney failure
- Post-pericardiotomy syndrome -- low fever and chest pain that can last for up to 6 months
- Stroke
- Temporary confusion after surgery due to the heart-lung machine
It is very important to take steps to prevent valve infections. You may need to take antibiotics before dental work and other invasive procedures.
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Learn more about Heart valve surgery
Drugs associated with:
Reviewed By: Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Copyright 2011 A.D.A.M., Inc.
