Valve
Replacement Surgery
Why is the doctor performing this surgery?
To replace a poorly functioning heart valve. The valve can
be narrowed and obstruct blood flow (called stenosis), or
it can be floppy/leaky (called insufficiency). Properly functioning
heart valves are essential to direct the flow of the blood
thru the heart, and to maintain a normal workload for the
heart. The most common heart valves surgically replaced are
the mitral valve and the aortic valve.
What is the surgery?
This surgery is an open-heart procedure to remove the poorly
functioning (either stenotic or insufficient) valve, and replace
it with either a mechanical (synthetic/man-made) or a tissue
(biologic/from another organism) valve. The pumping and oxygenation
function of the heart is taken over by a heart-lung machine
during the surgery, and medications are given that briefly
paralyze the heart (cardioplegia). This way, the heart is
completely at rest while the surgeon performs the replacement
surgery. To learn more about Valve Replacement Surgery, please
click here to view our educational animation showing a valve
replacement surgery.
Please note: Patients receiving a mechanical valve replacement
will be required to take a blood-thinning medication called
Coumadin (an anticoagulant) daily for life to prevent blood
clots from forming on the prosthetic valve.
Where is the surgery performed?
In the Operating Room (OR), under general anesthesia.
How long does this surgery take?
The surgery length of time will vary based on which valve
is replaced, the type of replacement valve, the patient's
underlying medical condition, etc, but a good estimate for
Valve Replacement Surgery is 3-6 hours.
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