The heart has four pumping chambers that keep the blood flowing through heart. When these valves get damaged and diseased, a Heart Valve replacement surgery is recommended. A heart valve replacement surgery is a process in which damaged valves are replaced with new, artificial valves.
The heart has four valves, namely mitral, tricuspid, pulmonary, and aortic valves. With each heartbeat, the valves open and close to pump the blood flow through the heart to the body, to stop the blood from flowing backward. When damaged valves are unable to open and close properly, they become stiff which disrupts the flow of blood causing heart valve dysfunction.
Your doctor may prescribe a few preparations before the surgery based on your health condition. You will be then asked to change into a medical gown. Anesthesia will be given to the patient right before the surgery. Once the patient is under sleep, an incision will be made to create an opening in the chest.
With the help of the heart-lung machine, the surgeon will stop the heartbeat to replace the damaged valve with a new one. Then the surgeon will remove the machine support and makes the heartbeat on its own. The surgeon will monitor the heartbeat for some time before closing the incision.
The patient will be then kept under observation for a few hours as a part of the recovery process.