If you or a loved one is having heart surgery, it can be really scary. Fortunately for all the great technology and surgery out there, it really can be a less complicated procedure than other types of surgery. There are different types of incisions that the surgeon can also perform on you. They ask you about this too, but they can either open a small part (a little more complicated scar for them but smaller), they open you a lot (it’s easy for them to go in and do their job, but it also leaves a big scar), or they can cut in your side, but this is a little trickier.
There are four valves in the human heart: tricuspid, pulmonic or pulmonic, mitral and aortic.
There are many reasons why they need a replacement valve. Heart valves can be born bad or damaged during life from rheumatic fever or infected endocarditis.
When your heart valve is damaged, it has a hard time opening and closing. This can happen either by having a stenotic heart valve that has difficulty opening all the way or regurgitation where the heart valve does not close completely and blood flows backwards.
These things really affect how you live well. If you are not a very active person, you may not notice symptoms caused by bad heart valve. Because your blood is not flowing properly through your heart, you will easily become tired if you try to work and also have chest pains.
So you need surgery heart, what is best for you?
Well, your doctor will probably talk you through a lot of this, but since you might not be able to notice it, you’ll have several options here.
Vulve Correction –
There are times when they can come in and you actually just have to fix the valve. This is not always possible, though, depending on the condition of your valve stem. You’ve also heard them called leaflets or spikes.
If your valve cannot be repaired, it will need to be completely replaced. You can choose between having a mechanical valve or a biological/tissue valve. Each valve has its advantages and disadvantages.
Mechanical Valves –
The benefit of using a mechanical valve is that they are made to last a lifetime. If you’re not old, consider this text valve. Although they last a lifetime, the downside of using a mechanical valve is lifetime maintenance. Since these do not work the same as biological tissue valves, they must be monitored more closely.
You will need to take blood thinners your blood. This is called anticoagulation. Regular valve tissue does not need this.
Other flush mechanical valves that make a little noise. This noise mimics the clicking sound when someone closes your ear. If you are quiet, you can hear the flute at work.
This may bother some people. I have had personal experience with this as my boyfriend is having a mechanical valve replace his aortic valve. It can be annoying once at night, but it’s really worth it.
A few commented, “What’s that sound?” And soon he will say: “Heart.”
This should not be mistaken for a step though. They are not the same.
When he had surgery when he was 19, he chose a mechanical valve over tissue valves that are known to last a lifetime.
The major disadvantage of the mechanical valve is blood clotting complications. You will have to pay more attention to this other person. The blood system is rarer. Also make sure to get out of the car or stand up once in a while if you are on an extended car ride or on a flight.
Overall, this valve is a good choice if you want to make sure that the valve itself does not age. Often if you use a tissue valve, it is a pig valve and sometimes this only lasts 15 years in space. However, they can last longer and be known.
Biological Valves –
These valves come from other animals, such as pigs. They go through the process of chemists who make it possible to accept a human body donor. This is called Xenograft or Xenotranspantation (transferring from one species to another). A pig’s heart is very similar to a human heart, that is why they are taken.
With these inversions there is no continuous blood flow just like with a mechanical valve. Those who use a mechanical valve and have a blood thinning procedure cannot consume alcohol like other people, because alcohol thins your blood. If your blood is too thin, you could die.
For this reason, it is necessary to regularly check the processes in which it reduces your blood pressure to monitor medicine, it can be a visit. weekly, if your blood changes a lot in your diet, or you can only have to make monthly visits or a little longer depending on how regular you stay.
Those with a tissue valve do not have to pass this, and also will not have sounds coming from a mechanical valve. But as I said before, the best way to get a mechanical valve over a fabric valve is to make it last for a lifetime. Sometimes these biological/tissue valves will need to be replaced later in life, which means another surgery and going through the recovery period again later in life.
Surgeries become more difficult in people as they age, so having biological valve replacements later in life could cause you to have a higher risk for complications. If you are an older patient, biological valves may be for you. Smaller patients tend to go for mechanical valves.
To put things into perspective when choosing what’s best for you, consider your age, lifestyle, and current health status. Your doctor can decide what is best for you.
Surgery can be a really scary thing. But the more you know about something, the more you can be prepared and feel at ease with it. Just remember that you will go through life feeling better after undergoing surgery and recovery. Having a bad heart valve can hold you back from normal activities, while having blood regurgitation and other complications can slow you down.
Heart valves are another wonder of modern medicine. Surgery is one of the hardest things you can overcome. But when you come out of it, you will have a single heart to be proud of. The best thing you can do is to work well and go about your normal life.
