| FACTS: |
Valve repair is becoming more
popular than replacement. In replacement life long blood thinners
are needed to prevent blood clotting on the artificial valves, where as
with valve repair only short term blood thinners are needed after
surgery. There is a high success rate of valve repair, so
patients with Mitral regurgitation are having surgery earlier, reducing
the risks of abnormal heart rhythms and
heart
failure. However not
every one is suited for Mitral valve repair. In a young
healthy patient, uncomplicated Mitral valve surgery averages 3-4
hrs, in hospital stay 5-7 days, and post surgery recuperation 4-6
weeks. |
| FACTORS FOR HAVING
SURGERY: |
The major complication of
heart valve disease is congestive heart failure. It can lead to
heart muscle disease and disruption of heart beat. Another serious
complication is the formation of blood clots
in stagnated pools of
blood. These clots may travel through the blood stream causing
stroke, pulmonary embolism or clot in the leg. Drugs may help relieve
some of the symptoms but is not a cure for the problem. In
regurgitation, as much as 90% of the entire pumped volume of blood may
flow back into the atrium. To compensate the heart must enlarge,
significantly increasing it's work load. |
| TYPES OF SURGERIES: |
Balloon Valvuloplasty: This
is a new technique, used as an alternative surgical repair of stenosis
(thickening) of a valve. A deflated balloon attached to the end of a
catheter is introduced into the heart and positioned at the center of the
valve opening. The balloon is then inflated, which opens up the
valve. This procedure is more successful in repairing the
Mitral valve than in repairing aortic stenosis. |
|
Surgical repair: This
is for severe cases, when symptoms show progression of the
disease. For stenosis, the surgeon stretches and opens
the valve's leaflets. In case of a tear the surgeon may repair
the leaky valve by suturing and tightening the leaflets or
chords. A severely stenotic valve, particularly if it is also
leaky or regurgitation is present, is usually a poor candidate for repair. |
|
Replacement surgery: This
is usually recommended when the damage to the valve is severe enough to be
potentially life-threatening. There are two types of replacement
valves that can be used, mechanical (man-made) and biologic (made
from treated animals or human valve tissue). |
| SUCCESS: |
Mortality from valve
replacement surgery is quite low, at 5 per cent, varying with patients age
and state of health. Studies show that 75-90 per cent of patients
undergoing heart valve repair or replacement live ten or more years after
the operation. Most feel better than they did before the surgery. |
