Mitral Valve Repair Surgery 

A Mitral valve surgery is done to repair or replace the mitral valve in the heart. 

When blood flows from the lungs, it enters the left atrium- a pumping chamber of the heart, after which it flows into the left ventricle- the final pumping chamber of the heart. The mitral valve is found between both of these chambers and its primary function is ensuring blood keeps moving ahead through the heart.

The need for mitral valve repair arises if the mitral valve hardens (calcification), which prevents blood from moving on through the valve. It may also be required if the mitral valve is too loose, which causes blood to flow backward.

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is performed by making small cuts( around 3-4 inches) on the right side of the chest whereas an open mitral valve surgery, will need to require a larger cut. 

At Aakash Healthcare, we provide the best treatment for a leaking mitral valve (mitral regurgitation) and mitral stenosis with minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery and other cutting edges mitral valve repair techniques. Some of the best heart surgeons in Delhi with special expertise in the mitral valve will be on your side and almost always, they repair leaking mitral valves rather than replace them, a repair rate of almost 100% for leaking mitral valves has provided our patient's ideal outcomes. For isolated mitral valve problems, we also perform most of our operations robotically, or with robotic assistance: the surgeries are minimally invasive, and recovery is quite quick. 

Symptoms of a leaking mitral valve

Quite a few individuals who have a leaking mitral valve will not notice any symptoms, even when the leak is severe. If and when symptoms arise, they may include feeling very fatigued, a complete lack of energy, swelling on the ankles, and extra or skipped heartbeats (palpitations). 

Diagnosing a leaky mitral valve and mitral stenosis 

If you experience any symptoms, get to a doctor who will use a stethoscope and listen in, and if they hear a murmur it means there is turbulent blood flow across an abnormal valve. You’ll need to go in for an ECG to confirm the diagnosis. An ultrasound will allow the doctor to visualize the heart valves and determine the extent, severity, and cause of the leak. 

In most patients, a probe will be placed on the skin of the chest to get visuals of the valve and in rare instances, a probe may need to be passed down the mouth into the esophagus to better visualize the valve. 

When is mitral valve surgery needed?

People may have to get surgery if their mitral valve is not working because of mitral regurgitation or mitral stenosis or if the valve has contracted an infection, or if there is severe mitral valve prolapse that is not responding to medication. 

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery  

Minimally invasive surgery will primarily be done if any alterations to the mitral valve are causing cardiovascular symptoms like shortness of breath, swelling in the legs swelling, or in case of heart failure if changes in the mitral valve are harming your heart or damaging it from endocarditis; or infection.

A minimally invasive cardiac surgery or keyhole heart surgery has many benefits. With this type of mitral valve repair surgery, there is lesser pain, lesser blood loss, and lower risk of infection along with faster recovery time, However, some patients may not be able to undergo this procedure.

What is the success rate of mitral valve repair for a leaky mitral valve?

The success rate is nearly 98%. The most common cause of a leaky mitral valve or mitral regurgitation is a degenerative mitral valve disease, also called mitral valve prolapse, myxomatous mitral valve disease, or a floppy mitral valve. These valves can be repaired rather than replaced in more than 95% of patients.

Risks involved with mitral valve repair surgery

Mitral valve repair surgery at Aakash Healthcare is an extremely safe procedure but all surgical procedures carry risks. There can be blood clots, loss of blood, an inflection in the lungs, kidneys, chest, or heart valves, severe reaction to the medication, and breathing problems, after mitral valve repair surgery. 

Minimally invasive surgery carries fewer risks than open surgery. However, there are still risks in minimally invasive valve surgery like irregular heartbeat, kidney failure, infection in the valve, heart attack or stroke, or damage to organs. 

Life after mitral valve repair

Our surgeons perform mitral valve repair surgeries after a complete evaluation, and precautions, with near 98 percent success. Once repaired or replaced mechanical heart valves will not fail invariably. However, some patients have developed blood clots on them. There can also be some bleeding, but this is quite rare.

Biological valves will have a lower risk of blood clotting but are more prone to failure after a long period.

The overall outcomes of mitral valve repair are terrific and you can make sure you get the best mitral valve repair surgery in Delhi by choosing to get your surgery at a hospital that performs a lot of these procedures. You should consider minimally invasive heart valve surgery for better recovery and less pain. 

Also, Read: Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery - Aortic Valve Repair and Aortic Valve Replacement