Heart Valve Replacement

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Diagnosis process involves the evaluation of signs and symptoms with conduction of a physical examination. In it, the doctor checks the body using a stethoscope and likely listens for a heart murmur, as it is a sigh of the diseased heart valve. The replacement procedure of heart valve has two approaches– Surgical and Non-surgical.

• Surgical approach: In this procedure, your doctor removes the damaged valve and replaces it with a mechanical or biological valve. This surgery is performed through traditional open-heart surgery or minimally invasive methods, which involve smaller incisions than that of open-heart surgery. The surgical treatment can be used to replace any of the four valves in the heart.
• Non-surgical approach: TAVR is another type of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement that has a non-surgical approach. It is also known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).In it, Doctor makes an incision and inserts a catheter through the access point and guides it using imaging techniques inside your heart. Once positioned, a balloon is expanded to press the replacement valve into place in the native aortic valve.

This approach is used when the surgical approach imposes a threat on the patient and can be carried out to replace the aortic valve only. While considering this treatment, one should always seek a second opinion and take into consideration the risk factors involved. The patient should provide appropriate information about his medical history. Although the damaged valve is not visible, one should immediately do the required tests if the symptoms persist. After the replacement surgery, adequate care and timely medication should be taken by the patient to avoid further complication.

To avoid coronary artery diseases, Following a healthy routine is the best way. By healthy routine we mean, adding nutritious diet in your meals, exercising regularly, avoiding saturated fat and high cholesterol food. These tips are worth if followed properly.

Since the surgery is undertaken for treating a heart valve disease, which is not a visible problem, many times its symptoms may go unnoticed or be confused with other heart diseases like a blocked artery or heart attack. It is extremely important to visit your doctor when you feel either of these symptoms and get related lab and imaging tests done to identify the root cause and the valve affected. Common symptoms of heart valve disease are listed below, Have a look.

• Abnormal sound (heart murmur).

• Chest Pain

• Fainting

• Dizziness

• Shortness of breath

• Irregular heartbeat Palpitations

• Swelling of ankles or feet

• Rapid weight gain.

Our heart is one of the most important organs of the body. It converts the deoxygenated blood into the oxygenated blood and pumps it throughout the body. To separate the deoxygenated blood from the oxygenated one there are four valves present known as an Aortic, pulmonary, mitral, and tricuspid valve. Each one has flaps called leaflets, for the mitral and tricuspid valves, and cusps for aortic and pulmonary valves. These flaps open and close at each heartbeat. When either of these valves is severely damaged or doesn’t function properly, immediate surgery is needed. Some patients may even need more than one valve repaired or replaced.

The two types that can be used for replacement are:

• Mechanical valves: These valves are usually made out of strong material like plastic, metals, carbon, etc. and they tend to last for a long time (approximately 25 years) without any problems. However, the blood tends to stick and create blood clots near mechanical valves and hence patients will be advised to take anticoagulants for thinning the blood for the rest of their lives.
• Biological valves: These are usually made from animal tissue (xenograft) or taken from human tissue (homograft) of a donated heart. Sometimes, a patient’s own tissue is also used to replace the damaged ones (autograft). These valves are relatively weaker than the mechanical valves and have a shorter life-cycle (approximately 15 years) but the patients don’t need to take anticoagulants for thinning the blood. These are usually used in elderly patients as its breakdown is faster in young adults and children.

There are various risk associated with heart valve replacement process. Some of them may even have serious implications after the surgery. The risk factors to look out while getting your heart valve replaced are listed below, Have a look.

• Bleeding before or after the surgery
• Blood clots Infection
• Pneumonia
• Breathing problems
• In worst cases, heart attack