What Is Heart Valve Surgery?
Heart valve repair and heart valve replacement surgeries have become very common. These procedures are performed to improve the health, quality, and longevity of life for those who have heart valve disease.
Depending on the damage, heart valves may either be repaired or replaced. Sometimes the surgeon can restore the valve to function normally by remodeling the tissueremoving stretched tissue or sewing the edges. Prosthetic or artificial rings are used to narrow a dilated valve and to reinforce valve repairs. One advantage of a heart valve repair operation is that a person's own valve tissues are used.
Heart valves that are seriously deformed or degenerated cannot be repaired. The old valve is removed and replaced with a new valve mechanism. The new valve is attached by sewing it to a rim of tissue kept from the original valve. There are different types of valve mechanisms in two categoriestissue valves and mechanical valves.