Heart Valve Repair Surgery
Overview and Facts about Heart Valve Repair Surgery
Heart valve repair surgery is a form of cardiac surgery used to treat heart valve disease. If you are suffering from heart valve disease, it means that at least one of your heart’s four valves—the tricuspid, mitral, pulmonary or aortic—is not functioning properly.
The purpose of these valves is to ensure blood flows through your heart in the correct direction. Heart valve repair surgery can be used to replace or repair heart valves.
Your surgeon may use minimally invasive heart surgery or open heart surgery depending on the severity of your condition, your overall health and your age.
If your heart valves are not working correctly, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Difficulty breathing
- Edema
- Fluid retention
- Palpitations
What to Expect during Heart Valve Repair Surgery
Prior to the procedure, you will be given general anesthetic. Then your medical team will connect you to a heart-lung bypass machine. This will keep oxygenated blood moving through your body during the procedure.
After sterilizing the skin over your sternum, the surgeon will make a large incision down the center of your chest. If you are having a less invasive procedure, smaller incisions will be made.
Once your blood has been diverted to the heart-lung bypass machine and your heart has been briefly stopped, the surgeon can repair the damaged valve.
When the surgery is complete, the surgeon will apply a gentle shock to your heart to restart it. At this point, the blood circulating through the heart-lung bypass machine can be returned to your body, and the machine can be disconnected. Your surgeon will check to make sure that your heart is beating normally and will then rejoin your breastbone with small wires.
Fine tubes will be inserted into your chest to allow blood and fluid from around the heart to drain. Once these are in place, your surgeon will realign your breastbone and wire the bones in place and close the incision.
What are the Side Effects of Heart Valve Repair Surgery?
Possible side effects of heart valve repair surgery include:
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Bleeding due to damaged blood vessels
- Blood clots in the lungs or heart
- Breathing difficulties
- Infection at the incision site
- Negative reaction to the anesthetic
What are the Risks of Heart Valve Repair Surgery?
Possible risks of heart valve repair surgery include:
- Continued valve dysfunction
- Excessive bleeding
- Heart attack
- Stroke