The next seven minutes could save your life. Home | Why We Do This | Health Library | Find a Doctor | Contact Conditions Procedures Ablation Pacemakers Atherectomy Valvuloplasty Carotid Stents Septal Closures Coil Embolization Coronary Stents Peripheral Stents Medicated Stents IVC Umbrella Placement Thrombolytic Treatment Angiojet Thrombectomy Intraaortic Balloon Pump Coronary Catheterization Radiation Brachytheraphy Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty MID-CAB Bypass Surgery Thoracic Endograph Heart Transplantation Valve Repair Surgery Abdominal Endograph Valve Replacement Surgery Carotid Endarterectomy Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Transmyocardial Revascularization Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Tilt Table MRI/MRA Aortagram Stress Test Event Recorder Ross Procedure Maze Procedure Holter Monitoring Myocardial Biopsy Nuclear Stress Test Stress Echocardiogram Electrophysiology Pulmonary Angiography Intracardiac Ultrasound Dobutamine Stress Echo Intravascular Ultrasound Echocardiography Electrocardiogram Coronary Balloon Angioplasty Peripheral Vascular Angiography Transesophageal Echocardiogram Signal Averaged Electrocardiogram Computed Axial Tomography Prevention Valve Repair Surgery Why is the doctor performing this surgery? To repair a poorly functioning heart valve. Properly functioning heart valves are essential to direct the flow of the blood thru the heart, and to maintain a normal workload for the heart. The most common heart valve surgically repaired is the mitral valve. The tricuspid and aortic valves may also be repaired. What is the surgery? Valve Repair Surgery is an open-heart procedure to fix a poorly functioning heart valve, often without the need for mechanical or biologic parts. Fused valve leaflets may be separated (called a Commissurotomy); calcium deposits hindering valve function may be removed; pieces of floppy/weak valve leaflets may be removed (called a resection); and holes or tears in valve leaflets may be patched. Sometimes a mechanical (synthetic/man-made) ring may be necessary to reshape and tighten the valve opening. Where is the surgery performed? In the Operating Room (OR), under general anesthesia. How long does this surgery take? The length of time surgery takes will depend on the valve being repaired, the repair that must be done, the patient's underlying medical condition, etc, but a good estimate is 2 - 3 hours. A community service provided by: Colorado Springs, CO 2008-2012, Copyright, Memorial Health System |  Site Map