Heart Valve Surgery in Phoenix, AZ

Surgery to repair or replace heart valves is performed to restore normal blood flow to, through, and from the heart. Depending upon a particular patient’s diagnosis and various other factors, your cardiologist may recommend an open surgery, or a minimally invasive procedure for heart valve repair.

The expertly trained cardiologists at Tri-City Cardiology have extensive experience performing heart valve procedures. Call (480) 835-6100 to request an appointment at one of our cardiology clinics throughout the Phoenix area.

Candidates for Heart Valve Surgery

Certain health conditions and symptoms can indicate the need for heart valve repair or replacement, including:

• A valve that does not close fully, allowing blood to leak backwards (regurgitation)
• A valve that does not open fully, limiting forward blood flow (stenosis)
• Defects that cause serious symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting spells, or heart failure
• Changes in valve performance that affect heart function
• A valve damaged by infection
• A new valve replaced in the past that is not working well or causing other problems such as clotting, infection, or bleeding

The Four Major Heart Valves

Depending upon the condition of your heart valve,  may suggest to repair it or replace it. The heart valves involved in these procedures include:

• Aortic valve
• Mitral valve
• Tricuspid valve
• Pulmonary valve

Heart Valve Repair

If the condition of your heart valve is such that repair is appropriate, a surgeon can repair it by using several techniques:

• Ring annuloplasty: Repairing the ring-like structure that surrounds the valve by sewing a ring of plastic, cloth, or tissue around the valve.
• Valve repair: Trimming, shaping, or rebuilding one or more of the leaflets of the valve. The leaflets are the flaps that open and close the valve. Valve repair is best for the mitral and tricuspid valves. The aortic valve is usually not repaired.

Heart Valve Replacement

If the heart valve is seriously damaged, your surgeon will remove it and replace it. The main types of new replacement valves include:

• Mechanical: Man-made materials, such as metal (stainless steel or titanium) or ceramic. These valves last the longest, but require patients to take a blood-thinning medication for the rest of their life to prevent blood clotting.
• Biological: Made of human or animal tissue. These valves last 12 – 15 years, but may also require taking blood thinners throughout the course of the person’s life.
• Homografts: Donated human aortic valves that are used in select cases. Cardiologist have been able to use the patient’s own pulmonary valve to replace the damaged aortic valve. The pulmonary valve is then replaced with an artificial valve, which is a process known as the Ross procedure.

Traditional Versus Minimally Invasive Surgical Approaches

Patients may choose to have their heart valve repair or replacement performed as either an open or minimally invasive procedure. Your cardiologist will give their best recommendation on which option is best based on the specific case and all its unique factors. In both cases you will need to be placed on a heart-lung by-pass machine during the surgery to do the work of your heart while it is stopped.

Open surgery requires a large surgical cut to the breastbone to reach the heart and the valve(s) requiring treatment whereas minimally invasive surgery is done through much smaller incisions, or through a catheter inserted through the superficial level of the skin. During minimally invasive heart valve repair or replacement, several techniques can be used:

• Laparoscopy
• Endoscopy
• Percutaneous surgery
• Robotic-assisted surgery

Schedule Your Consultation Today

Call (480) 835-6100 to schedule an appointment at one of our cardiology clinics throughout the Phoenix area.