Aortic valve surgery - open

Alternative Names

Aortic valve replacement; Aortic valvuloplasty; Aortic valve repair; Replacement - aortic valve

Definition

Blood flows out of your heart and into a large blood vessel called the aorta. The aortic valve connects the heart and aorta. The aortic valve opens so blood can flow out. It then closes to keep blood from returning to the heart.

You may need aortic valve surgery to replace the aortic valve in your heart if:

Your aortic valve does not close all the way so blood leaks back into the heart. This is called aortic regurgitation.
Your aortic valve does not open fully so blood flow through it is reduced. This is called aortic stenosis.

Open aortic valve surgery replaces the valve through a large cut in your chest.

The aortic valve can also be replaced using minimally invasive aortic valve surgery. This is done using several small cuts.

Why the Procedure Is Performed

You may need surgery if your aortic valve does not work properly. You may need open-heart valve surgery for these reasons:

Changes in your aortic valve are causing major heart symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting spells, or heart failure.
Tests show that changes in your aortic valve are beginning to seriously harm how well your heart works.
Your heart valve has been damaged by infection of the heart valve (endocarditis).
You have received a new heart valve in the past and it is not working well.
You have other problems such as blood clots, infection, or bleeding.

Risks

Risks for any anesthesia are:

Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
Blood loss
Breathing problems
Infection, including in the lungs, kidneys, bladder, chest, or heart valves
Reactions to medicines

Possible risks from having open heart surgery are:

Heart attack or stroke
Heart rhythm problems
Incision infection, which is more likely to occur in people who are obese, have diabetes, or have already had this surgery
Infection of the new valve
Kidney failure
Memory loss and loss of mental clarity, or "fuzzy thinking"
Poor healing of the incision
Post-pericardiotomy syndrome (low-grade fever and chest pain) that could last up to 6 months

Before the Procedure

Always tell your doctor or nurse:

If you are or could be pregnant
What medicines you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription

You may be able to store blood in the blood bank for transfusions during and after your surgery. Ask your surgeon how you and your family members can donate blood.

If you smoke, you must stop. Ask your doctor for help.

For the 2-week period before surgery, you may be asked to stop taking medicines that make it harder for your blood to clot. These might cause increased bleeding during the surgery.

Some of these drugs are aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn).
If you are taking warfarin (Coumadin) or clopidogrel (Plavix), talk with your surgeon before stopping or changing how you take these drugs.

During the days before your surgery:

Ask your doctor which medicines you should still take on the day of your surgery.
Always let your doctor know if you have a cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or any other illness in the time leading up to your surgery.

Prepare your house for when you get home from the hospital.

Shower and wash your hair the day before your surgery. You may need to wash your whole body below your neck with a special soap. Scrub your chest two or three times with this soap. You also may be asked to take an antibiotic to prevent infection.

On the day of your surgery:

You will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything after midnight the night before your surgery. This includes using chewing gum and breath mints. Rinse your mouth with water if it feels dry. Be careful not to swallow.
Take the medicines your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.

After the Procedure

Expect to spend 5 - 7 days in the hospital after surgery. You will spend the first night in the ICU and may stay there for 1 - 2 days. Two to three tubes will be in your chest to drain fluid from around your heart. These are usually removed 1 - 3 days after surgery.

You may have a catheter (flexible tube) in your bladder to drain urine. You may also have intravenous (IV) lines to deliver fluids. Nurses will closely watch monitors that display your vital signs (your pulse, temperature, and breathing).

You will be moved to a regular hospital room from the ICU. Your nurses and doctors will continue to monitor your heart and vital signs until you go home. You will receive pain medicine to control pain around your surgical cut.

Your nurse will help you slowly resume some activity. You may begin a program to make your heart and body stronger.

You may have a pacemaker placed in your heart if your heart rate becomes too slow after surgery. It may be temporary or permanent.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Mechanical heart valves do not fail often. However, blood clots can develop on them. If a blood clot forms, you may have a stroke. Bleeding can occur, but this is rare.

Biological valves have a lower risk of blood clots, but tend to fail over time. For best results, choose to have your aortic valve surgery at a center that does many of these procedures.

References

Fullerton DA, Harken AH. Acquired heart disease: valvular. In: Townsend CM, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2012:chap 61.

Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP et al. 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.