Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves.
Blood that flows between different chambers of your heart must flow through a heart valve. Blood that flows out of your heart into large arteries must flow through a heart valve.
These valves open up enough so that blood can flow through. They then close, keeping blood from flowing backward.
There are four valves in your heart:
- Aortic valve
- Mitral valve
- Tricuspid valve
- Pulmonary valve
You may need surgery if your valve does not work properly.
- A valve that does not close all the way will allow blood to leak backwards. This is called regurgitation.
- A valve that does not open fully will limit forward blood flow. This is called stenosis.
You may need heart valve surgery for these reasons:
- Defects in your heart valve are causing major heart symptoms, such as chest pain (angina), shortness of breath, fainting spells (syncope), or heart failure.
- Tests show that the changes in your heart valve are beginning to seriously affect your heart function.
- Your doctor wants to replace or repair your heart valve at the same time as you are having open heart surgery for another reason.
- Your heart valve has been damaged by infection of the heart valve (endocarditis).
- You have received a new heart valve in the past, and it is not working well, or you have other problems such as blood clots, infection, or bleeding.