{"id":36466,"date":"2023-04-06T08:13:50","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T13:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/?p=36466"},"modified":"2025-06-03T16:40:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T21:40:48","slug":"mitral-surgery-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2023\/04\/06\/mitral-surgery-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitral Valve Awareness: The Recovery from Mitral Valve Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>During the past 20 years, the patient experience following mitral valve surgery has greatly improved.\u00a0 Minimally-invasive techniques, new surgical protocols,\u00a0 and the use of nerve blocks have greatly enhanced recovery.\u00a0 Still, patients often wonder, &#8220;What should I expect during the recovery from mitral valve surgery?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To answer this question during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-disease-awareness-week\">Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week<\/a>, we interviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/surgeons\/dr-Dominic-Emerson-Los+Angeles-California.php\">Dr. Dominic Emerson<\/a>, Surgical Co-Director of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/hospital\/cedars-sinai-heart-institute\">Cedars-Sinai<\/a>\u00a0in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kIJWqdFdSDU?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Important Facts About Recovery from Mitral Valve Surgery<\/h2>\n<p>Here are several important learnings about the recovery from mitral valve surgery:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Immediately following mitral valve surgery, the patient is taken to the intensive care unit (ICU).\u00a0 While in the ICU, the patient is actively monitored. Typically, the breathing tube is removed the first evening after surgery while the patient is still sedated.<\/li>\n<li>Patients typically stay in the ICU for one to two days.<\/li>\n<li>Patients are encouraged to become mobile while in the ICU. &#8220;The goal is to get the patient moving pretty quickly, out of bed walking, even the first post-operative day,&#8221; states Dr. Emerson.<\/li>\n<li>From the ICU, the patient is typically transferred to the &#8220;floor&#8221; which has regular hospital rooms.<\/li>\n<li>While on the floor, patients are encouraged to walk, use the incentive spirometer, eat, and do deep breathing exercises. &#8220;The general idea of the floor is to get you back to a little bit of normalcy while you\u2019re still in the hospital,&#8221; states Dr. Emerson.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-36473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/..\/Images\/Incentive-Spirometer-Recovery-Mitral-Valve.png\" alt=\"Incentive Spirometer \" width=\"328\" height=\"331\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Incentive Spirometer<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Family and friend visitation is very important for patients, according to Dr. Emerson. &#8220;At Cedars-Sinai, we really encourage families and friends to see patients while they\u2019re here,&#8221; states Dr. Emerson. &#8220;The family can come and visit patients in the ICU and the floor as well.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Safety is the number one concern for medical teams during the early recovery from mitral valve surgery.<\/li>\n<li>Patients are typically discharged when they are capable of moving by themselves, eating and drinking normally, going to the bathroom, and pain management is not controlled with IV medication.<\/li>\n<li>Each patient will recover at different rates. That said, the time in which patients may return to driving, going back to work, and exercising will largely depend on the patient&#8217;s own specific recovery and, in certain situations, the type of work the patient performs (e.g. does it involve heavy lifting).<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Emerson does restrict the patient from driving for the first month after mitral valve surgery. Dr. Emerson also requests that patients do not lift anything greater than 10 pounds for the first month.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;My number one piece of advice,&#8221; states Dr. Emerson, &#8220;Try to be as active as you can in your own recovery. I really believe that doesn\u2019t just start right after surgery. That starts before you even come in the operating room. I always tell people that the stronger you are coming in, the stronger you\u2019re going to be going out. Get around as much as you can. Then, when you get home, stay active. Keep walking around. Try to get back to normalcy.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Keep Learning About Mitral Valve Therapy<\/h2>\n<p>During Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week, we&#8217;re sharing new information to educate you about the management and treatment of mitral valve disease including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/videos\/minimally-invasive\">Patient Webinar: Minimally-Invasive Heart Valve Surgery with Dr. Emerson<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2023\/04\/06\/mitral-complex-surgery\/\">Surgeon Q&amp;A: Complex Mitral Valve Surgery<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2023\/04\/06\/future-mitral-therapy\/\">What Is The Future of Mitral Valve Therapy?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/mitral-valve-disease-awareness-week\">See the Mitral Valve Disease Awareness Week Educational Microsite<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep on tickin!<br \/>\nAdam<\/p>\n<p>P.S. For the deaf and hard of hearing, I have provided a written transcript of my interview with Dr. Emerson below:<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Hi, everybody, it\u2019s Adam with heartvalvesurgery.com. This is a very special surgeon question and answer session all about the recovery from mitral valve surgery. I am thrilled to be joined by Dr. Dominic Emerson who\u2019s a leading robotic mitral valve repair surgeon from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Emerson, it is great to see you. Thanks so much for being with us today.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Thanks so much for having me, Adam. It\u2019s really great to talk with you about all of this and to connect with the entire community at heartvalvesurgery.com.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Yeah, Dr. Emerson, we\u2019re talking about the recovery from mitral valve surgery. One of the big questions that patients have is what happens immediately after the operation?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Right after surgery, you\u2019re going to go to an intensive care unit. That\u2019s just a higher level of care that people get right after heart surgery. In most patients, a breathing tube will be in and they\u2019re going to be watched very closely in the ICU. That period with the breathing tube in, they\u2019re going to be asleep. They\u2019re not going to be aware of that. The tube usually comes out about the first evening after surgery or if not, the first day after.<\/p>\n<p>Then during those first 24 hours, we\u2019re just watching, making sure the heart&#8217;s happy. The goal be to get the patient moving pretty quickly, out of bed walking even the first post operative day. Time in the ICU is usually about a day to two days in total. Again, it can vary a little bit. Then after that, it\u2019s to what we call the floor, the ward, the regular hospital room you\u2019re maybe used to. People are there for another four or so days.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, let\u2019s dive a little deeper as to what happens on the floor. If you\u2019re a patient, what can you expect prior to discharge?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: On the regular hospital room, on the floor rooms, we\u2019re continuing to monitor patients very closely as we do with anybody after heart surgery. The emphasis at this point is really on recovery and getting people back on their feet. That includes literally getting on your feet and walking around, but also doing normal things like making sure you\u2019re eating okay, making sure your pain is well controlled which is really important after any operation. We will do things to encourage you to be active and deep breathing with a device called incentive spirometer, which just encourages you to take deep breaths. General idea of the floor is to get you back to a little bit of normalcy while you\u2019re still in the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, a big question that patients have is when can I see my friends and family when I\u2019m recovering in the hospital?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Family visitation, we think, is extremely important to the recovery in any patient. At Cedars, we really encourage patients\u2019 families to see them while they\u2019re here. The family can come and visit patients in the ICU and the floor as well. Visiting hours change a little bit depending on the care location. In the ICU, it\u2019s more around the clock visitation because patients are being watched a lot closer at that point. Then on the floor, it\u2019s more generally business hour kind of visitation.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, I\u2019m real curious and I\u2019m sure patients are too, how do you know when it\u2019s time for a patient to be discharged?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Everything that occurs during heart surgery, from testing all the way through your discharge, the primary goal is safety. We define safety as somebody who\u2019s able to get around pretty much on their own power, eating and drinking normally, even going to the bathroom. Pain is controlled but not with IV medication, pills and that sort of thing, and that they have a good place and a good support system that they\u2019re going to go to.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, another big question from patients is all about getting back to normal. Patients want to know, what\u2019s your recommendations for how long it might take to do things like driving, exercising and getting back to work?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: It\u2019s probably the most common question I get about recovery and what it\u2019ll be like. In general, we still try to keep the focus on safety. Whatever is going to be safe is where we limit you. That means that we don\u2019t want people doing any heavy lifting for about a month after they leave the hospital. That means anything greater than 10 pounds. We definitely do want people up, walking around, stairs are fine, all that. In fact, I think it really helps their recovery if they&#8217;re active.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of driving, that is probably the biggest complaint I get, is that we stop people from driving for about a month after surgery. That, again, is just a safety issue. After the recovery, obviously you can go back to normal activities. Work is a little different for every individual. That\u2019s because everybody\u2019s job is different. If you\u2019re somebody that sits behind a desk versus somebody who\u2019s at a construction site, obviously they\u2019re really different loads on your body, a lot of different stresses. We try to individualize their return-to-work plan and how that\u2019s going to work, what are those limitations based on each individual patient.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, you see a lot of mitral valve patients there at Cedars-Sinai. I\u2019m curious to know, what is your number one piece of advice for a patient who is preparing to recover from mitral valve surgery?<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Adam, I think it\u2019s the same advice I give anybody who&#8217;s undergoing heart surgery, which is try to be as active as you can in your own recovery. I really believe that that doesn\u2019t just start right after surgery. That starts before you even come in the operating room. I always tell people the stronger you are coming in, the stronger you\u2019re going to be going out, meaning be active prior to the OR. Get around as much as you can. Then, when you get home, stay active. Keep walking around. Try to get back to normalcy as quickly as you can with those same restrictions that we talked about. I think that really ensures the best chance at success.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Pick: Dr. Emerson, that is fantastic advice. On behalf of all the patients at heartvalvesurgery.com, patients all over the world, thanks so much for taking time away from your very busy practice at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and being with us today.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Emerson: Thank you, Adam. I really appreciate you taking the time to highlight these factors within mitral valve surgery. I think that it\u2019s fantastic that I get to share with you and with all the patients at heartvalvesurgery.com. Again, thank you for doing this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recovery"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36466"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41662,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36466\/revisions\/41662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}