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Get answers to your Mitral Valve Surgery questions.

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Heart valve surgery - Recovery

Alternative Names

Valve replacement; Valve repair; Heart valve prosthesis

After the Procedure:

For more information, see:

The average hospital stay is 5 - 7 days. Complete recovery will take a few weeks to several months, depending on your health before surgery.

Outlook (Prognosis):

The success rate of heart valve surgery is high. The operation can relieve your symptoms and prolong your life.

Mechanical heart valves do not often fail. Artificial valves last an average of 8 - 20 years, depending on the type of valve. However, blood clots can develop on these valves. If a blood clot forms, you may have a stroke. Bleeding can occur, but this is rare.

There is always a risk of infection. Talk to your doctor before having any type of medical procedure.

The clicking of mechanical heart valves may be heard in the chest. This is normal.

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Heart valves - anterior view

Heart valves - superior view

Heart valve surgery - series

Reviewed last on: 5/6/2011
Shabir Bhimji, MD, PhD, Specializing in General Surgery, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Midland, TX. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Fullerton DA, Harken AH. Acquired heart disease: valvular. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 62.

Otto CM, Bonow RO. Valvular heart disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 66.

Bonow RO, Carabello BA, Chatterjee K, de Leon AC Jr., Faxon DP, Freed MD, et al; 2006 Writing Committee Members; American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force. 2008 Focused update incorporated into the ACC/AHA 2006 guidelines for the management of patiens with valvular heart disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 1998 Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease): endorsed by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Circulation. 2008;118:e523-e661.

Clark JB, Pauliks LB, Rogerson A, Kunselman AR, Myers JL. The Ross Operation in Children and Young Adults: A Fifteen-Year, Single-Institution Experience. Ann Thorac Surg. Apr 2011.

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