Aortic Valve
Surgery Procedure
The aortic valve surgery is one treatment for severe damage of the
heart. The
human heart can be considered a very strong organ. It can withstand a
considerable deal of stress and pressure.
However, like all organs, it does
have its limitations and can grow weak from age and external or
environmental factors. For 1 to 2% of the population, the aortic valve
of their heart might suffer deterioration. Such a serious condition,
however,
can be treated in more than just one way.
The
problems with the valve can vary. In many instances, the valve becomes
leaky; in other cases, there might be a hardening of blockages within
the valve. Either way, it becomes necessary to take the steps required
to repair the problem. Due to the seriousness of the condition, it
becomes necessary to undergo
open heart surgery. Specifically, the open
heart surgery that is performed would be a valve replacement.
There
are many different ways a replacement valve can be procured. Commonly,
a pig's valve is selected as the substitute valve. Again, this is
achieved through open heart surgery where a cardiopulmonary bypass
machine is employed to pump the blood on the heart's
behalf. The
machine also operates respiratory function assisting the lungs. This
allows the doctors the ability to replace and repair the valve.
Obviously,
the aortic valve surgery is a complex one and not one that is taken
lightly. When
doctors first discover a problem with a valve, they will not
immediately perform the surgery. Rather, they will wait until the valve
is approaching a critical level before performing the surgery. Again,
this is because they will wish to avoid performing the surgery until it
is absolutely necessary.
Modern medicine has made the
performance of aortic heart valve surgery procedure not as problematic as it
was in the past. Most people will recovery within a relatively short
period of time after the surgery. The better a person's health may be,
the quicker the recovery time will be. Immediately after the surgery,
the patient will be placed in intensive care during 4 to 10 days. This is done to monitor the patient's
recovery and to maintain a watchful eye on complications.
Once out
of intensive care, the patient will need to move on to a rehab center
for recovery for up to 4 weeks. The overall recovery time for
the surgery itself can be upwards of 3 months although some have
experienced complete recoveries in a month. Granted, rapid
recoveries are rare but they do occur.
Common
complications that
are possible include infections or blockages. Proper monitoring of the
patient during the intensive care stage will usually address these
complications. Overall, this type of operation can be considered a safe
one. More than 95% of the people that undergo the aortic valve surgery
procedure successfully
recover
from it. The process can add an addition 5 to 10 years on the life of
an individual. That alone can be considered the main reason to look
towards
having the surgery performed.
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