Cardiac valve procedure with cardiac catheterization (major complications)

Procedure Information

What is a cardiac valve procedure?

The heart has 4 valves, and they are responsible for separating your different heart chambers. They also avoid blood going in the wrong direction. The four valves are the aortic valve, pulmonary valve, tricuspid valve, and mitral valve. When these valves don’t close properly or are very stenosed, this can lead to valvular diseases, leading to various heart conditions.

A cardiac valve procedure, also known as heart valve surgery, is used to repair or replace any of the affected valves in your heart. The procedure can be done in different techniques; it could be done with minimally invasive heart surgery or open-heart surgery. 

Why would I get this procedure?

Valvular problems can be dilation of your valve that leads to blood leaking and flowing in the right direction (regurgitation) or narrowing that interferes with the normal blood flow (stenosis).

Whether you undergo surgery or not depends on many factors like the extent of damage to your heart valves and any other health conditions you have. Many valvular problems don’t necessarily require surgery. Medications and lifestyle changes can help.

However, if your valve starts causing some problems that interfere with your activities, like chest pain and shortness of breath, then your doctor may recommend cardiac valve surgery.

What happens during the procedure?

The procedure is done under general anesthesia, so you will be put into sleep and won’t remember anything regarding the procedure. It can be done as open-heart surgery or minimally invasive surgery with small incisions.

Minimally invasive surgical approach

This approach can be used to repair or replace diseased heart valves. This can be done by a catheter. The catheter is a thin, long tube inserted in one of your blood vessels until it reaches the diseased valve.

A narrowed valve can be treated by inserting a catheter with a balloon on its tip, which is inflated to expand the opening of the heart valve. Also, leaky valves (regurgitation) can be treated by the same procedure as well. However, the doctor here places a MitralClip on the valve leaflets to make them close tightly. 

What to expect after the procedure?

After the procedure, you will need to spend one or two days in the intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. Fluids and medications will be administered to you by IV lines. Also, tubes that drain urine from your bladder may be inserted as well.

Your healthcare team will monitor you for any signs of infections or any other complications due to the surgery. You will also be given pain medications to manage pain.

Conclusion

After you recover from the heart surgery, you can return to your regular activities, such as exercise and work. Instructions on when and how to return to these activities will be given to you by your physician.

It would help if you also considered lifestyle changes like avoiding tobacco and keeping a healthy diet as they decrease any surgery complications.

Citations

Mayo Clinic: Heart valve surgery

Cleveland Clinic: Heart Valve Surgery