Seeing that it’s the most major organ in the body and the one that makes the rest of the body work, when something bad happens to the heart, fear is an instant reaction. Heart valve illness is when a valve in the heart doesn’t work the way it should. It could be blocked from opening or closing all of the way therefore not allowing blood flow to happen the way it wishes to for the body to work the way it should. When this occurs, heart valve replacement is a choice to fix the problem.
Every year, over 250.000 heart valve replacement surgeries are performed with only 2.4% ending fatally. That may appear like a high p.c., but when dealing with any surgery on the heart, it is extremely low in all reality. Every day we engage in activities that are just as dodgy. Driving a vehicle, flying in an airplane, and crossing the street are all activities that could end fatally but usually don’t. One way to dispel any fear you have over this surgery is to remember that and go into it with the positive outlook of how this is one more presumably dangerous activity you may do, but tell yourself that the risk of it being deadly is too tiny to chance not having it done. If you want the surgery, get it done.
One main problem that would lead you to need heart valve surgery is called aortic stenosis. This happens when a valve in your heart chamber doesn’t open fully. It could occur from scarring or calcium deposits forming, but when a valve doesn’t open absolutely , less blood flows thru or it has to flow thru a smaller chamber therefore not getting to the next chamber. When this happens, there are 2 possible surgeries that can occur. They can repair the valve meaning fixing the part thatis hurt or they can replace it that means removing the ill valve and replacing it with one that works.
The surgery sounds much scarier than it really is. When heart valve replacement is needed, the doctors put you under anesthesia so you aren’t awake during it and then they physically stop your heart from beating but have a machine continue pumping the blood thru your body. They then make an incision above your aorta, do the needed repairs and then stitch you back up. The final scar(s) will be very small so there’s actually nothing to fret about.
