When surgery is recommended, the advantages of heart valve repair instead of valve replacement cannot be overstated. Repairing a valve involves modifying the tissue or underlying structures to restore competency to the valve allowing the patients to keep their own valve instead of implanting an artificial valve.
repair is the most commonly repaired valve and involves lower risk to the patient than valve replacement, it requires no anticoagulation such as Coumadin (warfarin) and studies confirm that it improves outcomes and survival. People with mitral valve disease who are referred for surgery should be aware that not all cardiothoracic surgeons routinely repair mitral valves and even fewer do so minimally invasively. Since each reduction in the size of the incision has the potential to make the patient’s recovery quicker and easier, it is no surprise that informed patients are actively seeking minimally invasive surgery.
Early diagnosis and treatment of valve disease can mean a complete return to normal activities in a short span of time with no recurrence. Combining the latest technology with the correct timing of the surgery allows the cardiac team to make a successful repair before permanent damage is done to the heart.
are less commonly repaired. Based on studies of large numbers of patients who have undergone aortic valve surgery, usually the best result is achieved with aortic valve replacement. Exceptions may include young patients with bicuspid valves, mild forms of healed infections and some patients whose valve is insufficient due to diseases of the aorta.
Aortic stenosis, a stiffening of the aortic valve, is an example of a valve condition for which people who receive early evaluation and treatment experience better outcomes. Stenosis is often diagnosed in people over the age of 80; yet, age alone should not exclude a patient from consideration for valve surgery.
is the treatment of choice when a valve is severely malformed or destroyed. There are two main types of replacement valves mechanical and tissue. Mechanical valves are now made from a space-age plastic called pyrolite carbon. Tissue valves are either manufactured from the lining of a cow's heart (bovine pericardium) or the actual valve from a pig.
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