How Long Do Heart Valve Repairs Last?

Heart Valve Repair or Replacement Surgery

The heart is a pump made of muscle tissue. It has 4 pumping chambers: 2 upper chambers, chosen atria, and 2 lower chambers, chosen ventricles. Valves between each of the eye'southward pumping chambers keep claret flowing forrard through the heart.

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Tricuspid valve.Located between the correct atrium and the right ventricle
Pulmonary valve.Located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery
Mitral valve.Located between the left atrium and the left ventricle
Aortic valve.Located between the left ventricle and the aorta

When valves are damaged or diseased and do not work the manner they should they may need to be repaired or replaced. Weather condition that may crusade center valve dysfunction are valve stenosis (stiffness) and valve regurgitation (leaky valve).

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When one (or more) valve(s) becomes stenotic (potent), the heart has to piece of work harder to pump the blood through the valve. Valves can go narrow and stiff from infection (such as rheumatic fever or staph) and aging. If i or more valves get leaky, claret leaks backwards, which means less claret is pumped in the right management. Based on your symptoms and the overall condition of your eye, your healthcare provider may decide that the diseased valve(s) needs to be surgically repaired or replaced.

Traditionally, open up-centre surgery is used to repair or replace heart valves. This means that a large incision is fabricated in the chest and the middle stopped for a time and so that the surgeon can repair or replace the valve(s). Newer, less invasive techniques take been developed to supervene upon or repair eye valves. Minimally invasive procedures make smaller incisions, and hateful less hurting afterward and shorter hospital stays.

The diseased valve may exist repaired using a ring to support the damaged valve, or the entire valve may be removed and replaced by an bogus valve. Artificial valves may be made of carbon coated plastic or tissue (made from animal valves or human being valves taken from donors). You and your healthcare provider will talk about the pros and cons of each type and what might be best for you.

Why might I need heart valve repair or replacement surgery?

Valve repair or replacement surgery is done to right the problems caused by one or more diseased eye valves.

If your heart valve(s) becomes damaged or diseased, you lot may have the post-obit symptoms:

Dizziness
Chest hurting
Breathing difficulties
Palpitations
Edema (swelling) of the feet, ankles, or abdomen (belly)
Rapid weight gain due to fluid retention

There may exist other reasons for your healthcare provider to recommend heart valve repair or replacement surgery.

What are the risks of heart valve repair or replacement surgery?

Possible risks of heart valve repair or replacement surgery include:

Bleeding during or after the surgery
Claret clots that tin cause eye set on, stroke, or lung issues
Infection
Pneumonia
Pancreatitis
Breathing problems
Arrhythmias (aberrant middle rhythms)
The repaired or replaced valve doesn't work correctly
Death

At that place may be other risks depending on your specific medical condition. Be certain to hash out any concerns with your healthcare provider earlier the procedure.

How do I get gear up for eye valve repair or replacement surgery?

Your healthcare provider will explain the procedure and yous can inquire questions.
You volition be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the surgery. Read the grade carefully and ask questions if anything is unclear.
Along with a consummate medical history, your healthcare provider may do a complete concrete exam to make certain that you are in otherwise skillful wellness before surgery. You may demand blood tests or other diagnostic tests.
Y'all will be asked to fast (not eat or drink) for 8 hours before the procedure, generally afterwards midnight.
If yous are pregnant or think you could be, tell your healthcare provider.
Tell your healthcare provider if y'all are sensitive to or are allergic to any medicines, iodine, latex, tape, or coldhearted agents (local and full general).
Exist sure your healthcare provider knows about all medicines (prescription and over-the-counter), vitamins, herbs, and supplements that you lot are taking.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have a history of bleeding disorders or if y'all are taking whatsoever anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medicine, aspirin, or other medicines that bear on claret clotting. You may be told to stop some of these medicines before surgery.
Your healthcare provider may do a blood examination earlier surgery to see how long information technology takes your blood to clot.
Tell your healthcare provider if y'all have a pacemaker or any other implanted cardiac devices.
If y'all smoke, terminate smoking as presently as possible. This improves your chances for a successful recovery from surgery and benefits your overall health status.
Based on your medical condition, your healthcare provider may request other specific training.

What happens during centre valve repair or replacement surgery?

Heart valve repair or replacement surgery requires a stay in a infirmary. Procedures may vary depending on your status and your healthcare providers practice.

Generally, open-center valve repair or replacement follows this process:

You will be asked to remove whatsoever jewelry or other objects that may interfere with the procedure.
You lot volition change into a hospital gown and empty your bladder.
The surgical team volition position yous on the operating table, lying on your back.
A healthcare professional will first an intravenous (4) line in your arm or hand for injection of medicine and to give IV fluids. More catheters will be put in blood vessels your neck and wrist to monitor the status of your centre and blood pressure level, and to have blood samples.
The anesthesiologist will continuously monitor your centre rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery.
Your doctor will put a breathing tube through your mouth into your lungs and connect you to a ventilator, a auto that will exhale for you during the surgery.
Your md will place a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) probe into your esophagus (swallowing tube) and so he or she can monitor the role of the valves.
A soft, flexible tube (called a Foley catheter) volition exist put into your bladder to drain urine.
A tube will be put through your mouth or nose into your stomach to drain tummy fluids.
Someone on the surgical squad volition clean the skin over your chest with an antiseptic solution. If there is a lot of hair at the surgical site, information technology may exist shaved off.
If you are having an open up-heart surgery, your healthcare provider will make an incision (cut) downwards the middle of the chest from merely below the Adam'southward apple to just in a higher place the navel. If yous are having a less invasive procedure information technology may crave smaller incisions.
The sternum (breastbone) volition be cut in half lengthwise. The healthcare provider will separates the halves of the breastbone and spread them apart to expose your center.
To do the valve repair or replacement, your dr. must stop your heart. He or she will put tubes into the heart and then that the claret tin exist pumped through your body past a centre-lung bypass car while your heart is stopped.
In one case the blood has been completely diverted into the featherbed machine for pumping, your doc volition terminate your heart by injecting it with a cold solution.
When the heart has stopped, your doctor volition remove the diseased valve and put in the artificial valve, in the instance of a valve replacement. For a valve repair, the procedure washed will depend on the blazon of valve trouble you take, for example, your doctor may split up fused valve leaflets, repair torn leaflets, or reshape valve parts to ensure amend function.
Once the surgery is washed, your doctor will daze your heart with small paddles to restart your heartbeat. Adjacent, he or she volition allow blood circulating through the bypass machine to re-enter your heart and remove the tubes to the machine.
Once your heart is beating again, your md will watch it to see how well the centre and valves are working and be sure that there are no leaks from the surgery.
Your md may put wires for pacing into your middle. He or she can attach these wires to a pacemaker outside your body for a short time and your heart tin can be paced, if needed, during the initial recovery menses.
Your doctor volition rejoin the sternum sewing information technology together with small wires (like those sometimes used to repair a cleaved bone).
Your dr. will put tubes into your chest to drain blood and other fluids from around the heart.
Your doctor will sew together the pare over the sternum dorsum together and close the incision with sutures or surgical staples.
A member of the surgical team will utilise a sterile bandage or dressing.

What happens after center valve repair or replacement surgery?

In the infirmary

After the surgery, a member of the surgical team will accept yous to a recovery room and after the intensive care unit (ICU) to be closely monitored for several days. A nurse will connect you to machines that volition constantly brandish your electrocardiogram (ECG) tracing, blood pressure level, other pressure readings, breathing rate, and your oxygen level. Open up-heart valve repair or replacement surgery generally requires an in-hospital stay of several days or longer.

You will almost likely accept a tube in your throat that'south connected to a ventilator to assist you breath until you are stable plenty to exhale on your own. As you wake upwardly from the anesthesia more and kickoff to breathe by yourself, your doctor tin adjust the breathing machine to allow you to take over more than of the breathing. When you are awake enough to breathe completely by yourself and are able to coughing, your dr. will remove the animate tube. He or she may too remove the stomach tube at this time.

Afterwards the breathing tube is out, a nurse volition help you coughing and take deep breaths every couple of hours. This volition be uncomfortable due to soreness, merely it is very important that you practise this to continue mucus from collecting in your lungs and perhaps causing pneumonia. Your nurse volition show you how to hug a pillow tightly confronting your chest while coughing to assistance ease the discomfort.

You will get hurting medicine if you are pain. Ask for the medicine before you become extremely uncomfortable.

You may exist on IV (intravenous) medicines to help your blood pressure and your centre and to command any problems with bleeding. As your status stabilizes, your dr. will gradually decrease then finish these medicines. He or she volition too remove any pacing wires in your heart you may have.

Once your doctor has removed the breathing and tum tubes and you are stable, you may start to drink liquids. You lot can start eating more solid foods as before long as you can tolerate them.

When your healthcare provider decides that you are ready, you volition be moved from the ICU to a surgical unit or acute care unit. Your recovery will continue there. Your activity will be gradually increased as you get out of bed and walk effectually for longer periods.

A member of your healthcare team volition adapt for you lot to go home and schedule a follow-upward visit with your healthcare provider.

At home

In one case you are home, it volition be of import to keep the surgical surface area clean and dry. Yous will exist given specific bathing instructions. Your doctor will remove the sutures or surgical staples during a follow-up part visit, if they were non removed before leaving the hospital.

Practice not bulldoze until your healthcare provider tells y'all it'south OK. Other activity restrictions may apply.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these:

Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or college, or chills (these may be a sign of infection)
Redness, swelling, haemorrhage, or drainage from the incision site or any of the catheter sites
Increase in pain around the incision site
Problem animate
Increased swelling in the legs or belly
Piece of cake bruising
Persistent nausea or vomiting
Rapid or irregular pulse
Weakness in the arms and legs

Your healthcare provider may give you other instructions after the process, depending on your situation.

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