Mitral Valve Repair Options

Mitral Valve Surgery

Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement

The mitral valve ensures that blood returning from the lungs to the heart does not back up into the left atrium and lungs. There can be many causes for a mitral valve to be damaged including disease, infection and age. In a process that typically takes years, a leaky mitral valve causes increased pressure in the left atrium of the heart. These higher left atrial pressures can cause the left atrium to stretch, which in turn can become a cause of atrial fibrillation. Additionally, a leaking mitral valve can cause increased blood pressure in the lungs known as pulmonary hypertension and can contribute to congestive heart failure (CHF) where fluid builds up in the lung tissues.

Whenever possible, the surgical team at Stamford Hospital will attempt to repair your valve rather than replace.  Keeping your own valve lessens the chance that you will need to take blood thinning drugs.  Repair can involve surgically revising the shape of your valve or using a ring around the valve to tighten it, or both - otherwise, the mitral valve is replaced with a tissue or mechanical valve.

Minimally Invasive Valve Repair

Stamford Hospital is among a select few hospitals nationally where patients can have this surgery performed in a minimally invasive fashion. Minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery is performed through a small incision, often using specialized surgical instruments. The incision is 2 to 4 inches instead of the 6- to 8-inch incision required for traditional surgery resulting in fewer complications and quicker recovery time.