Think you might be facing heart valve surgery – or know someone who is?  Learn what to expect in this overview.

The most common heart valves that require surgery are the mitral and the aortic valves.

“Aortic valves are usually replaced, rather than repaired,” says McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgeon Scot C. Schultz, MD. “If it is an aortic valve replacement procedure alone, the surgery takes about 2-3 hours for this operation.  This would not include any additional procedures, such as coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, which is commonly performed with aortic valve replacement.”

Most patients will wait:

• Four weeks before working.
• Six to eight weeks before doing strenuous activity — golf, bowling, tennis — anything that’s going to create torsion on the upper body to allow the breast bone to heal.

The mitral valve – if you are replacing the valve, the surgery can be performed in about 2 ½ hours. Repairing the mitral valve may take a little bit longer.  Mitral valve repair involves restructuring and repairing of a malformed valve, and supporting the repair with a “ring” around the repaired valve.

The advantage to valve repair is that typically blood thinners are avoided. The goal is for the repair to last indefinitely.

Prior to surgery, heart patients see a cardiologist who can help diagnosis the problem, then work with a surgeon, if needed.  Find a cardiologist near you.