Heart Valve Replacement Surgery
What is it?
If one or more valves in the heart are not working properly, blood will not flow through the heart correctly. This puts extra strain on the heart and can cause symptoms such as breathlessness and swollen ankles. Heart valve disease can cause the heart to pump less efficiently.
Heart valve surgery can stop or improve symptoms, and may prevent permanent damage to the heart.
Operation
The operation takes about three hours. The surgeon will make a cut about 25cm (10 inches) long down the middle of the breastbone (sternum) and will open the ribcage to reach the heart. Medication is used to temporarily stop the heart. Blood will be diverted to a heart-lung (bypass) machine - this will add oxygen to the blood and maintain circulation.
The surgeon will remove the diseased valve and sew in a prosthetic (artificial) valve. There are two types of valves:
- Mechanical valves are artificial valves made from carbon fibre.
- Biological valves are made from human or animal tissue.
Recovery
After surgery, the patient will be placed in the intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. Breathing during surgery - and for a while afterward - is assisted through a tube that has been placed down the throat and positioned in the lungs. It is removed as soon as the patient is stable. A monitor shows the heart rate, heart rhythm, blood pressure, and other special pressures and waves that the nursing staff watches closely to assess how the recovery is going. Medications are given as needed to ease pain and anxiety.
Every patient recovers at a different rate. Tubes are removed as recovery progresses. The ICU stay is usually a day or two. Then the patient will be moved to a cardiac medical-surgical floor where the heart is continually monitored. The health care team will continue to support and instruct the patient in recovery care, rehabilitation, medications, nutrition, and other needs.
The sternum will take about six weeks to heal but a full recovery can take two to three months. The patient should avoid driving until the discomfort stops (usually 3 months after the operation).
Cardiac Surgical Procedures
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