Cleveland mitral valve repair

Symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, leg swelling and arrhythmias begin to appear and worsen as the condition — known as mitral regurgitation —progresses. In many patients with mitral valve disease, the valve leaflets become weak and loose. The valve becomes swollen with extra tissue. The ring around the valve stretches out, and the chords holding the leaflets to the ring elongate.

This causes the entire valve to prolapse, or fall, into the left atrium, looking somewhat like a failed parachute flapping in the wind. In a traditional mitral valve repair, the loose valve tissue is cut away resected , and the remaining valve tissue is reattached, tightening the leaflet. Some surgeons have tried resecting tissue while transferring chords from other places on the mitral valve, but the extensive amount of suturing causes scar tissue to form.

Over time, the valve becomes stiff. While the procedure can produce the desired results, it requires the heart to be stopped for a long period of time. Afterwards, some patients require special drugs to help their heart contract and must stay in the intensive care unit for several days. First, no valve tissue is removed. The length of each cord is adjusted to make the leaflets fit together perfectly. Since the leaflets are not cut or sutured, no stiff scar tissue develops.

The size of the valve opening is unaffected, so the heart functions normally. And the procedure can be performed quickly. Patients go home the day after surgery. Because the repair can be done minimally invasively, there is less pain, less bleeding and a short recovery period. Kapadia says. If you have mild symptoms from a malfunctioning mitral valve, medication might be all you need. However, if you have more severe symptoms — shortness of breath or chest pain — the valve will likely need repair or replacement.

If failing health or a weak heart makes open surgery a higher risk for you, there are safer surgical options. If your surgeon needs to repair your mitral valve through tiny incisions without opening up your chest , here are minimally invasive surgical options:.

However, as these require your surgeon to stop the heart, you may not be a candidate for surgical minimally invasive repairs. In this case, percutaneous repair or replacement may be feasible, such as the following options:.

Since there are several treatment options for patients who cannot have open surgery, Dr. Kapadia recommends seeking a healthcare facility with a mitral valve center.

If you have a leaky heart or a failing mitral valve but are not able to undergo open surgery, there are safer treatment options. Learn about the latest in minimally invasive surgery for mitral valve repair or replacement. Learn more about vaccine availability.

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