Heart valve surgery
Find a heart specialistAs you get older, your heart valves may weaken due to age or certain heart diseases. When heart valve disease develops, you may experience debilitating – even life-threatening – shortness of breath or severe chest pain.
When other treatments don’t work, heart valve repair or heart valve replacement may be the answer. At Aurora Health Care, our expert surgeons have repaired and replaced hundreds of heart valves. We’re here to help get your heart health back on track.
What is heart valve disease?
Your heart has four valves that open and close with each heartbeat. When they’re working properly, they make sure your blood flows in one direction as it goes through the four chambers of your heart and on to the rest of your body.
With heart valve disease, one or more of the four valves doesn’t open and close the way they should. We use heart valve repair and heart valve replacement to treat aortic valve disease, mitral valve disease, tricuspid valve disease and pulmonary valve disease.
There are three main conditions within heart valve disease:
- Atresia: In this heart defect present at birth, the valve isn’t formed properly and blood can’t flow through.
- Regurgitation: This means the valve doesn’t close tightly and blood leaks backward instead of flowing completely through the heart chamber.
- Stenosis: With stenosis, the valve thickens, stiffens or fuses with other tissue and can’t open all the way, preventing blood from flowing properly. This is the most common type of heart valve disease.
What is heart valve repair and replacement?
When you need heart valve repair and replacement, you may be concerned about what kind of procedure you’ll need. We work hard to make it easy for you to get the answers you need through our multidisciplinary valve clinic.
Valve repair and valve replacement are types of open heart surgery or minimally invasive catheterization procedures to fix problems in heart valves.
Valve repair restores the valve’s shape, so it works more efficiently. Aurora is within the top ranks for having the best outcomes and people from throughout the nation and even the world come to us for minimally invasive valve repair procedures that include:
- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): A minimally invasive procedure where a TAVR surgeon uses a thin, flexible tube to replace the damaged aortic valve with an artificial one
- Transcatheter mitral valve replacement: A minimally invasive procedure where we use a thin, flexible tube to replace the damaged mitral valve with an artificial one
- Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement: A minimally invasive procedure where we use a thin, flexible tube to replace a previous surgical valve with a new one
- Transcatheter tricuspid valve repair with clip: A minimally invasive procedure that allows doctors to decrease the amount of blood flow that flows backward through the tricuspid valve of symptomatic patients. For patients that are considered high risk for surgery and not experiencing improvement with medical management, this can be an effective nonsurgical treatment option.
- Transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement: A minimally invasive procedure where we use a thin, flexible tube to replace the damaged pulmonic valve with an artificial one
- Balloon valvuloplasty: In this procedure, we guide a catheter with a small balloon on the end through a blood vessel from the groin to the aortic valve and inflate the balloon to stretch the heart valve.
- Regurgitation: During a ring annuloplasty, we use special stitches or a ring to tighten the valve.
- Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair: Used for people with mitral valve disease, we insert a small device, which holds the mitral valve closed. The procedure is fast and effective.
If your doctor recommends transcatheter or open heart surgery to repair or replace your heart valve, prior to surgery your doctor may request tests including:
- Cardiac catheterization: Checks for blockages in the blood vessels of the heart
- Carotid ultrasound: Checks the arteries in your neck for blockages, which could potentially interfere with blood flow to the brain and increase your stroke risk
- Chest X-rays
- CT scan: Checks your cardiac anatomy and helps your doctor plan the procedure
- Dental examination
- Echocardiogram: Checks your heart muscle strength and the function of your heart valves
- Electrocardiograph testing (EKG): Checks your heart rate and rhythm
- Lab testing: Checks your kidney function, liver function, blood count, urine, thyroid function and blood type in case a transfusion is needed during your surgery
On the day before your heart valve surgery, we’ll ask you to wash your chest and legs using a special soap to help prevent infection.
You'll also see your primary care doctor or cardiologist for personalized guidelines to prepare for surgery including:
- Refraining from eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before your procedure
- How to get ready for your procedure including any medications you may need to stop taking
- Answers to your questions and concerns
Transcatheter surgery
You’ll arrive at the hospital two hours prior to your transcatheter procedure. Before surgery, you’ll receive a heavy sedative so you won’t feel any pain. Depending on which valve is being operated on, you may also receive general anesthesia or a breathing tube.
Transcatheter valve procedures typically take one to two hours. During the procedure, your surgeon will make a small two-inch incision, typically in the groin. Unlike traditional open heart surgery, you will not need a heart-lung bypass machine. Your heart will be beating on its own throughout the procedure.
During surgery, your surgeon and interventional cardiologist repairs or replaces the faulty heart valve. Once the procedure is complete, your surgeon will close up the incision. We'll make sure the new valve is working correctly by performing a follow-up echocardiogram.
Open heart surgery
You’ll arrive at the hospital two hours prior to your open heart surgery. Before surgery, you’ll receive a general anesthetic that will put you to sleep so you won’t feel any pain. You’ll also receive a breathing tube and a bladder catheter.
Open heart surgery typically takes three to five hours. During the procedure, your surgeon may make an incision down the middle of your breastbone, about seven inches long, or use a small incision between your ribs to access the heart. You’ll be connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which allows your surgeon to stop your heart from beating and move the blood away from your heart.
During surgery, your surgeon repairs or replaces the faulty heart valve. Once surgery is complete, your surgeon will seal up your incision which may include putting your breastbone back together with metal wires and closing the skin with sutures and, in some cases, staples. We'll make sure the new valve is working correctly by performing a follow-up echocardiogram.
Transcatheter procedure
Most likely you’ll stay in the hospital for up to two days after surgery.
You should be able to resume normal activities including going back to work, doing daily chores and driving again within a week of your heart valve repair or replacement. If your job requires heavy work, you might need to recover a bit longer.
Your recovery may include cardiac rehabilitation. This medically supervised program offers extra support, education and coaching to help get you on the right track after surgery.
Depending on the type of valve repair or replacement, you may receive a blood thinner such as warfarin that you’ll keep taking until your doctor says it’s OK to stop.
Open heart surgery - Recovery
Most likely you’ll stay in the hospital for four to six days after surgery.
You should be able to resume normal activities including going back to work, doing daily chores and driving again two to four weeks after your heart valve repair or replacement. If your job requires heavy work, you might need to recover a bit longer.
Your recovery may include cardiac rehabilitation. This medically supervised program offers extra support, education and coaching to help get you on the right track after surgery.
Depending on the type of valve repair or replacement, you may receive a blood thinner such as warfarin that you’ll keep taking until your doctor says it’s OK to stop.
Placing your trust in our team
People from around the Midwest choose our hospitals and clinics for our track record of safety and excellence, especially in transcatheter procedures. You can feel confident with our:
- National ranking: U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks our heart program among the best in the country. We’re dedicated to improving and transforming heart care.
- ACC Valve Center of Excellence Certified: This certification from the American College of Cardiology identifies Aurora St. Luke's as a leader in transcatheter valve procedures.
- Top team: Our surgeons and interventional cardiologists have expertise in treating conditions with heart surgery.
- Innovative care: In addition to surgical excellence, we are known as the Midwest’s leading provider of minimally invasive valve replacement or repair.
- Latest treatments: We continually use the latest technology. Whenever possible, we make a procedure less invasive so that your recovery can be faster and easier.
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