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"What About Breast Implants Before Heart Surgery?" Asks Dorata

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: May 17, 2026

I received an interesting question from Dorata about breast implants, echocardiograms and minimally invasive heart valve surgery. In her email, Dorata writes, "Hi Adam, I'm expecting a mitral valve repair surgery in a few years. I'm considering having breast implants now. I am wondering if breast implants interfere with the echocardiographic examination and minimally invasive surgeries?"

In his response to Dorata's question, Dr. Stewart noted the following:

Breast implants have the potential to alter the approach of heart valve surgery. It is important to tell your surgeon about implants during the pre-operative consultation so damage does not occur. Depending on the type and size of the implant, a heart surgeon may decide to involve a plastic surgeon in the procedure.

In my practice, I will still proceed with minimally invasive surgery, but will involve a plastic surgeon to care for the implant. Specifically, I mean that the implant is temporarily removed at the start of the procedure and placed in a sterile container. The heart surgery procedure will be performed as planned. Once I am satisfied that the procedure was successful, the chest is closed and the breast implant is replaced. The presence of breast implants should not eliminate the possibility for a minimally invasive procedure on the heart.

I hope this helped Dorata (and perhaps you) learn more about breast implants and heart surgery. Many thanks to Dorata for her question and a special thanks to Dr. Stewart for sharing his clinical expertise with our community.

To learn more about robotic surgery and breast implants, please click here.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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