Heart Valve Surgery

Heart valve surgery repairs or replaces one or more of the four valves in your heart. Your valves sit between your heart's four chambers, making sure your blood moves the right way. Valves work like doors that open and close with each heartbeat, allowing blood to flow in and out of the chambers. When valves function, your blood should flow through your heart in one direction every time your heart beats.

Your heart has four valves:

• Tricuspid - connects your right top and bottom chambers.
• Pulmonary - links your right ventricle (bottom chamber) to your pulmonary artery.
• Mitral - connects your left upper and lower chambers.
• Aortic - connects your left ventricle (bottom chamber) to your aorta.

Sometimes, blood might flow back into the chamber it just exited. In other cases, a valve can become tight, which can stop blood from moving forward. This causes problems because it prevents your heart from working well. Although heart valve surgery might scare you, it helps your heart function better. And when your heart works better, you'll feel better too.

Types of Heart Valve Surgery The type of heart valve operation you undergo depends on several things. Your doctor will think about:

• Your heart's anatomy
• Your age
• Any other health issues you might have.
• Your lifestyle Tests will show your doctor where your valve problem is, what type it is, and how bad it is. You might have been born with a heart valve issue, or your valve might have started to leak, gotten stiff, or narrowed over time. What the tests find helps decide the best way to treat your valve.
• A. Heart Valve Repair Surgery Repair surgery fixes damaged or faulty valves while keeping most of your own tissue. Doctors repair mitral valves more often than other valves, but this surgery can also fix problems with aortic and tricuspid valves.
• B. Heart Valve Replacement Surgery Heart valve replacement surgery removes the faulty valve & replaces it with a biological (pig, cow or human tissue) or mechanical (metal or carbon) valve. All valve replacements are biocompatible. This means your body won't reject your new valve. Replacement options include the Ross procedure and less invasive procedures like TAVR.

When do I need Heart Valve Surgery? You need heart valve surgery when medicines no longer help with symptoms like:

• Pain in your chest.
• Trouble breathing.
• Passing out.

How do I prepare for Heart Valve Surgery? The day before your surgery, you might need these tests:

• X-ray of your chest
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• CT (computed tomography) scan
• Cardiac catheterization.
• Blood tests

Ask your doctor which medicines you can take before the surgery. Don't drink or eat anything after midnight on the day of your surgery.

During Valve Surgery During heart valve surgery, a doctor will:

• Give you medications through an IV in your arm or hand to make you sleep without pain.
• Make the smallest cut they can for your surgery.
• Set up a heart-lung machine to do the job of your heart and lungs during surgery.
• Repair or replace your heart valve.
• Remove the heart-lung machine and get your heart beating again.
• Incision closure

Heart valve surgery options include:

• Traditional or open-heart surgery: A cut (6 to 8 inches) through your breastbone.
• Minimally invasive heart valve surgery: A smaller cut (3 to 4 inches or less). Methods are: - Endoscopic also called keyhole approaches (port access thoracoscopic or video-assisted thoracic surgery) - Robotic-assisted surgery
• Transcatheter: Your doctor will insert a catheter into a large artery, like your femoral artery in your groin, and perform the procedure without cutting your chest.

What happens after Heart Valve Surgery? After your operation, your medical team transfer you to an ICU to keep a close eye on you. Later, you will move to a standard room. You could spend five to seven days in the hospital. Equipment attached to you will track your blood pressure and heart rate. You might have tubes sticking out of your chest to remove fluids. Your doctor will advise you to eat light and walk as early as possible after your surgery. You can begin with brief walks in your room or down the hallway and increase your distance. Your doctor might enrol you in cardiac rehab, an exercise program under careful supervision. Avoid lifting anything over 10 kg for six to eight weeks after your procedure.

Risks or Complications of Heart Valve Surgery Every operation carries some risks. When it comes to heart valve surgery, the potential dangers include:

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Irregular heartbeat
• Stroke
• Blood clots
• Infection
• Bleeding

When to call the Doctor Get in touch with your doctor if:

• You experience pain in your chest or near your incision site.
• You feel down. This sometimes happens after an operation and can slow down your healing process.
• You run a temperature, which might indicate an infection.
• You put on weights suggesting fluid retention.