Replacement of the aortic, cardiac, mitral valve of the heart - how is the operation performed

Replacing a heart valve in recent times was considered a very serious and rare operation. Today, such operations are carried out regularly, bringing positive results. Operative intervention does not seem so dangerous now.

Rapid modernization of medicine can reduce the risks of such operations. The need for large incisions, opening the chest area has already disappeared today.

The operation to replace the heart valve is carried out with minimal consequences for the patient and, as a rule, already on the fifth day, the patient can be discharged from the hospital home. But at the same time, the operation to replace the heart valve has been and remains serious, so a person should understand what it is.

Replacing heart valves will oblige the patient to significantly change their usual lifestyle.. For the most part, patients notice an improvement in their condition after the operation.

The normal work of the heart muscle is restored. Several months of rehabilitation will allow the person to feel completely healthy. For proper recovery, the patient is shown a special diet and special restorative physical education.

Life goes on after a valve replacement, but patients may be prescribed various medications that they will take continuously or in a course. It is forbidden to independently change the schedule and dosage of admission, as well as cancel medication without consulting your doctor.

Surgery should be reported to all doctors prior to accepting the procedure. Patients should not use medications or calcium-fortified products to extend the life of a biological valve.

If you have complaints of pain or deterioration of health, you should immediately consult a doctor. However, if the replacement of the heart valve was carried out efficiently, there will be no more pain.

Heart valve replacement surgery - indications and contraindications

Heart valve replacement surgery is prescribed according to the following doctors' indications:

• Infectious lesion.
• Birth defects.
• Fibrosis (scarring).
• Lack of valve tightness.
• The impossibility of performing the adhesion dissection procedure.
• Valve leaflet pathology.
• Calcification.

Contraindications to surgery include:

• Heart failure in severe form in a patient.
• Thrombosis.
• Several valves are severely deformed.
• Infectious endocarditis.
• Rheumatism, expressed in severe form at the stage of exacerbation.

Preparation in the case of an operation to replace a valve on the heart differs little from preparation for similar manipulations, which are of a general nature. The thoracic region is opened by the surgeon to gain direct access to the heart. Then it is connected to an artificial blood flow system, this will allow the surgeon to get on with the work.

After preparation, the affected valve is removed and a new one is implanted. Having installed a new valve, the doctor makes sure that everything is done correctly, checks the suture, turns off the artificial blood flow system and returns the chest to its place, stitching up the patient.

Heart valve replacement surgery is very common. Provided the operation is successful and there are no complications in the postoperative period, the patient may soon erase past health problems from memory. A reminder that in this case only a scar will remain after the operation.

After surgery to replace the valve, the person is sent to intensive care. The tube for pumping fluid from the lungs can be removed immediately after recovering from anesthesia or left for a short period of time.

It is allowed to get up not earlier than two days after surgery. At first, the patient has increased fatigue, as well as chest pain.

The patient can be discharged from the hospital for home treatment as early as 5 days after the intervention, and if additional therapy is required, then 10 days after the operation to replace the valve on the heart.

The postoperative period is considered to be 2-3 weeks after surgery.

During this period, it is very important for the patient to follow all the prescriptions of the attending physician. In addition, you yourself need to control the fluid balance, engage in physiotherapy exercises, which helps to normalize breathing.

The medical institution also carries out hardware preventive measures against postoperative pneumonia.

In the postoperative period, the patient may experience:

• Visual disturbances.
• Sleep disturbances.
• Decreased appetite.
• Swelling of the legs.

All consequences are temporary and usually disappear within a month after the intervention.

After 4 weeks from the date of surgery, the patient must undergo a complete medical examination. During the examination, the doctor must conduct a physical examination, take laboratory tests and conduct instrumental studies.

The patient undergoes tests without fail, in particular, a blood test is taken for a coagulogram. Research is also underway ECG and Echocardiography, x-ray.

Replacement of the aortic valve of the heart, cardiac and mitral

Aortic valve replacement is necessary for heart disease.

The aortic valve consists of three semilunar cusps that close the entrance to the aorta. They open only when the left ventricle of the heart is compressed.

Often, defects at birth or acquired diseases result in compression, fracture, hardening, or scarring of the valves.

Then the normal work of the heart muscle is disrupted and the help of a surgeon is required. All these indicators can be called heart disease.

In general, a person has two pairs of valves. The first pair is located between the atria and ventricles of the heart, the second - between the ventricles and large arteries.

Mitral valve placed between the left atrium and ventricle. It consists of two valves that allow blood to pass from the atrium to the ventricle. It is closed during the compression phase of the ventricle. At this point, blood is not supplied to the atrium, but is pushed through the aorta into large vessels.

Tricuspid valve located between the right atrium and the ventricle, and the pulmonary - at the entrance to the pulmonary trunk. It prevents blood from returning to the right ventricle.

Today, heart valve replacement, like mitral valve replacement, takes a long time. The surgeon works on the patient for about three hours. Most often, they try to carry out operations using minimally invasive methods, and only in rare cases, with a severe course of the disease, an open method is used.

With the help of a special tube, a special attachment is inserted into the patient's heart muscle, which significantly reduces the risk of complications. There are several minimally invasive methods, thanks to which the replacement of the mitral valve of the heart will be successful.

Minithoracotomy - replacement of the heart valve is carried out in the usual way, using a heart-lung machine, but in this case, the chest area is not completely opened. Everything is done with just a few incisions just below the patient's chest. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia.

Endovascular - this type of operation involves the introduction of a catheter with a microprosthesis through incisions in the brachial or femoral arteries. Replacement of the heart or mitral valve is performed in the damaged area, and the auxiliary catheter is removed from the body. In this case, only local anesthesia is used, and X-rays are also used. This method is excluded with complex defects of the heart valve.

MitraClip - literally, this type of operation can be translated as correction of the mitral heart valve. The operation is also carried out according to the general system, but it also has several features.

The mitral valve is operated in any existing way, it all depends on the complexity of the deformation. Local anesthesia is appropriate. Replacement of the aortic valve is carried out only in an open way and exclusively under anesthesia.

In the first months after surgery, patients may experience various unusual conditions for them. For example, some convalescents have more frequent bouts of depression, while others are in high spirits.

Temporary visual disturbances, poor appetite, sleep disturbances, and swelling of the extremities are also frequent. All these signs disappear over time.

In the postoperative period, regular visits to the doctor are required. At the first visit, all the necessary tests are taken, on the basis of the results of which the subsequent schedule of visits is drawn up. In the absence of deterioration, the normal course of the recovery period, visits are reduced to once every 12 months.

All his life after the operation, the patient must strictly monitor his health and inform the doctor about the slightest deterioration in the general condition or severe pain.