Description

Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves. Blood that flows between different chambers of your heart must flow through a heart valve. Blood that flows out of your heart into large arteries must also flow through a heart valve. These valves open up enough so that blood can flow through. They then close, keeping blood from flowing backward. There are 4 valves in your heart: Aortic valve Mitral valve Tricuspid valve Pulmonic valve Before your surgery, you will receive general anesthesia. You will be asleep and unable to feel pain. In open heart surgery, the surgeon makes a large surgical cut in your breastbone to reach the heart and aorta. You are connected to a heart-lung bypass machine.Your heart is stopped while you are connected to this machine. This machine does the work of your heart, providing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. Minimally invasive valve surgery is done through much smaller cuts than open surgery, or through a catheter inserted through the skin. Several different techniques are used: Percutaneous surgery (through the skin) Robot-assisted surgery