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Maryland Heart Center

Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement

UMMC's Heart and Heart Surgery Program ranked as one of the nation's 50 best by U.S. News & World Report's 2011 "Best Hospitals" survey.
Six-year UM study finds minimally invasive mitral valve repair techniques safe, durable and effective.

What are the Advantages of Mitral Valve Repair?

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Maryland Heart Center surgeons always try to repair rather than replace valves. Clear advantages of mitral valve repair versus replacement include:

A lower mortality at the time of operation (1-2% for repair versus 6-8% for replacement).
A significantly lower risk of stroke, and a lower rate of infection.
Improved long-term survival with mitral valve repair.
Patients who receive a valve repair stay on the same survival curve as the normal population.
After mitral valve repair, blood thinners are not required, in contrast to the life-long requirement for blood thinners after mechanical mitral valve replacement.

Mitral valve repairs are very durable. Studies have shown that 95 percent of patients will have a perfectly working valve 20 years after mitral valve repair surgery.

Successful repair requires a dedicated surgical team. Surgeons at the University of Maryland Heart Center are now able to repair about 92 percent of all mitral valves, which compares favorably to the national repair rate of approximately 55 percent.

Please call if you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services. Patients dial 1-800-492-5538 or 410-328-5842, physicians dial 410-328-6622 or 1-800-318-1019.

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