Aortic Valve Repair or Replacement Surgery
In cases of severe Aortic Valve Insufficiency, surgical repair or replacement of the valve is necessary. The operation is performed under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep during surgery.
First, the surgeon makes a vertical incision in the front of the chest, opens the breastbone, and exposes the heart. Blood from the heart is redirected to a bypass machine. The bypass machine does the job of the heart and lungs during the operation.
The specific type of operation performed depends on the type and severity of aortic inufficiency. Operations include:
- Valve Repair: The aortic valve is reconstructed to correct the leakage.
- Ross Procedure: The aortic valve is replaced with the your own pulmonary valve. A pulmonary valve from a tissue donor is then placed where the existing pulmonary valve had been.
- Valve Replacement: The aortic valve is replaced with either a mechanical valve, a valve from an animal donor, or a valve from a human donor.
After the valve is repaired or replaced, and the heart closed, the surgeon shuts down the heart-lung bypass machine, and the heart starts beating again. The surgeon then closes the breastbone and chest incision, and applies bandages to the incision site.
Recovery
