St Vincents Private Hospitals

Heart valve surgery is a type of medical procedure to replace or repair one of your four heart valves. The valves are responsible for keeping the blood flowing in a one-way direction through the heart. If one or more of the heart valves is damaged or diseased and doesn’t function the way it is designed to, it may need to be repaired or replaced using heart valve surgery. There are a number of ways to perform heart valve surgery depending on the location of the affected valve, and the specific type of problem. It can be either be performed as open-heart surgery, or as a minimally invasive procedure. Your doctor will talk to you about the best approach for your condition. 

What does it do?

Heart valves control the way that blood flows through your heart. In a healthy heart, they operate just like gate doors that open and close. If the valves become narrowed (stenosis) or stop closing properly (regurgitation), blood can be prevented from flowing freely, or it can flow it the wrong direction. This puts additional pressure on the heart, and in severe cases may lead to heart failure. Heart valve surgery restores proper function to the faulty heart valve.

How does it work?

Heart valve surgery works by repairing or replacing any damaged heart valve that is no longer working efficiently. Heart valve repair surgery may be performed using a variety of techniques such as trimming away excess tissue, using special rings to narrow an enlarged artery or using artificial cords to strengthen the valve. Heart valve replacement surgery is performed when the faulty heart valve is considered beyond repair. It is either replaced with a mechanical valve made from metal or carbon, or a biological valve made from cow or pig tissue. Heart valve surgery is an effective procedure to restore the heart valve function and slow the onset of heart valve disease.