Valve Replacement

What is a valve replacement?

lf you have a damaged heart valve, sometimes your doctor might simply monitor it for a while. But over time a faulty valve could start to affect the left ventricle (lower chamber of your heart). So your doctor may recommend a valve replacement. During surgery, your doctor removes the damaged valve and replaces it with a new valve. The heart valve should be replaced before damage is done to the left ventricle.

A valve replacement is a major surgery that requires general anesthesia.

How is the surgery done?

Your doctor needs to operate on a completely still heart. So you will receive medications to stop your heart. A heart-lung machine then does the job of both the heart and the lungs:

• lt adds oxygen to the blood-as the lungs would do
• lt pumps the blood back into, and throughout, the body-as the heart would do

Your doctor takes out the damaged valve and sews a new valve into place. The healthy valve for this surgery sometimes comes from an organ donor. More often a doctor will implant a mechanical valve, made of plastic and metal.

What can I expect?

Usually you are told not to eat or drink anything for a number of hours before your surgery. You lie on an exam table and an intravenous (IV) line is put into your arm. The IV delivers fluids and medications during the surgery. You are then wheeled into the operating room, where you receive medication that makes you unconscious during the surgery. After surgery you need to spend a few days in the hospital. You may have pain at the incision site for several weeks, but medication is provided for pain. At home, recovery may take 6-8 weeks.

Once you have had valve replacement surgery, you are at higher risk for a valve infection (endocarditis). So your doctor will order antibiotics for you to take before certain dental or surgical procedures.