What is Mitral Valve Repair?

Valve Replacement or Repair is used to repair or replace diseased the four valves in your heart: Aortic valve, Mitral valve, Tricuspid valve, and Pulmonary valve.

Theses valves control the direction of blood flow through your heart. The opening and closing of theses heart valves produce the sound of heartbeat.

A Good Candidate for Mitral Valve Repair

Heart valve surgery can be recommended for those with the following conditions:

· Narrowing of the heart valve (stenosis)

· Leaking of the heart valve (regurgitation)

Valve problems may be caused by the following:

· Birth defects

· Calcium deposits (calcification)

· Infections such as rheumatic fever

· Medications

Some defective heart valves can cause congestive heart failure and infections (infective endocarditis).

Risks and Side Effects of Mitral Valve Repair

Risks associated with anesthesia include trouble breathing, adverse reactions to the medications, bleeding and infection.

Risks for any cardiac surgery include death, heart attack, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and stroke.

Heart Valve Surgery

Heart valve surgery is open-heart surgery that is executed under general anesthesia. A cut is made through the breast bone (sternum) and the blood is routed away from the heart to a heart-lung bypass machine. The heart-lung bypass machine keeps the blood circulating while the heart is being operated on.

Valves may be repaired or replaced. Replacement heart valves are either natural or artificial:

· Natural valves are from human donors

· Modified natural valves come from animal donors

· Artificial valves are made of metal

For those who receive an artificial valve, medications to prevent blood clots may be required for a lifetime. Natural valves rarely require lifelong medication.

Recovery from Mitral Valve Repair

Patients will stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) for the first 2-3 days following the operation and heart functions will be monitored continuously. The average hospital stay is 1-2 weeks. Complete recovery can take up to several months, depending on your health prior to surgery.

Results of Mitral Valve Repair

Success rates for heart valve surgery are high. This operation can relieve many symptoms and prolong your life. The clicking of the mechanical heart valve may be heard in the chest. This is normal.