Mitral Valve Replacement
Surgery Candidate Due To Mitral Valve Prolapse With Regurgitation

About Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery Resulting From Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Prolapse, Stenosis And Other Heart Valve Disease

Mitral valve replacement is the surgical removal of a damaged or dysfunctional mitral valve in the heart. Once the diseased mitral valve is removed from the heart during surgery, an alternative heart valve will be placed in the heart. Mitral valve replacement types include a mechanical (artificial valve), a pig valve replacement or a cow valve replacement.

Heart valves perform the important function of ensuring blood flow in the correct direction throughout the body.

The mitral valve directs the flow of blood from the left atrium into the left ventricle, and the aortic valve allows blood to pass from the left ventricle into the aorta.

The tricuspid and pulmonary valves perform the equivalent tasks on the right side of the heart. However, due to their position in the heart, these two valves operate under considerably less pressure and typically require less heart valve replacement surgery.

When the mitral valve opening between the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart becomes severely blocked (mitral stenosis), it may requires mitral valve replacement surgery.

Because the narrowing of the valve (stenosis) may cause blood to back up into the lungs, careful monitoring of heart valve disease symptoms should be monitored.

Also, mitral valve regurgitation caused by floppy leaflets can cause leaky heart valve symptoms to manifest in the patient.

When the mitral valve fails to close properly (mitral insufficiency or regurgitation), the need for mitral valve replacement is usually determined by how severely the symptoms impact the patient and how well those symptoms can be controlled by medical treatment.

However, it should be noted that many patients who are asymptomatic may require mitral valve replacement surgery if their heart is dilated (enlarged) or experiencing other issues related to heart valve disease and/or heart failure.

>>Next: To learn more about mitral valve replacement surgery and the recovery from mitral valve surgery, please click here.