When do you need heart surgery?
When the valve disease is too serious to be controlled by medication, heart valve surgery may be recommended in order to avoid further damage to the heart. The aim of this surgery is to improve the health and quality of life of people with heart valve disease. Depending on your condition, the surgeon will choose either to repair or to replace your heart valve.
Heart valve repair:
The native valve will be preserved. In some cases a device called “Annuloplasty ring” may be implanted to reinforce the native valve.
Heart valve replacement:
Where heart valves are severely malformed or destroyed, they may need to be replaced with a biomedical device in most cases its use can lengthen or even save a patient’s life.
Replacement valve devices fall into three categories:
Annuloplasty rings, tissue (biological) valves and mechanical valves.
Rings
Which are made of a solid one–piece core consisting of a polymer or titanium alloy covered by a silicone rubber and a knitted polyester fabric on the outside. As long as the patient remains in good health after implantation of the ring implant, the Annuloplasty ring should last the remainder of the patient’s lifetime.
Mechanical valves
Which is made of artificial materials. These valves are durable and can last indefinitely. The inconvenience is they request a lifetime therapy with an anticoagulant (sometimes known as a “blood thinner”) .
This treatment is mandatory and will be followed under cardiologist surveillance.
Biological (tissue) valves.
Are made from tissue taken from animals, Artificial components can also be presenting order to sustain the valve structure.
These valves don’t last as long as mechanical valves, they may need to be replaced after 10 to 15 years their main advantage is that they do not need to receive an anticoagulation therapy.
