Both Aortic valve repair and aortic valve replacement are methods that treat diseases afflicting the aortic valve. The aortic valve is one of the four valves that control blood flow through the heart. It helps maintain blood flowing in the right direction through the heart. Moreover, it separates the heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) and the main artery that furnishes oxygen-rich blood to your body (aorta).
With each contraction of the ventricle, the aortic valve opens and allows blood to flow from the left ventricle into the aorta. When the ventricle loosens, the aortic valve shuts to prevent blood from sliding backwards into the ventricle.
When the aortic valve isn’t operating correctly, it can hinder the blood flow and force the heart to work harder to send blood to the rest of your body.
Aortic valve repair or aortic valve replacement can heal aortic valve disease and aid restore normal blood flow, prolong life, reduce symptoms, and help maintain the capacity of your heart muscle. Aortic valve disease therapy depends on the criticality of patient’s condition, whether they are experiencing signs and symptoms, or if their condition is getting more critical.
The types of aortic valve disease that may need treatment with aortic valve repair or replacement include:
- Aortic valve stenosis.The stenosis makes the aortic valve to become narrowed or obstructed, which makes it harder for the heart to pump blood into the aorta. It may be induced by the thickening of the valve’s closure congenital heart disease, flaps (leaflets) or post-inflammatory changes, such as those related with rheumatic heart disease.
- Aortic valve regurgitation:This happens when blood flows backwards through the aortic valve into the left ventricle each time the ventricle relaxes. Instead of flowing in the normal, one-way direction from the ventricle to the aorta. Backflow may be caused by a dysfunctional or leaky valve. This could be due to degeneration of the valve, an abnormal valve shape present from birth (congenital heart disease) or due to a bacterial infection.
- Congenital heart disease.Having this may add to aortic valve regurgitation or stenosis. As well as it may result in other problems that prevent the aortic valve from operating properly. For example, a person may be born with an aortic valve that doesn’t have sufficient tissue flaps (cusps), the valve may be the wrong size or shape, or there could not be an opening to permit blood to flow normally (atresia).
However, in most circumstances, aortic valve disease and dysfunction get more serious despite medical treatment. Greatly, aortic valve diseases are mechanical problems that can’t be fully treated with medication only. Before-mentioned situations ultimately need surgery to lessen symptoms and the risk of complications, such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke or death due to sudden cardiac arrest.
The choice to repair or replace a flawed aortic valve depends on several factors such as;
- Your age and your overall health
- The criticality of the aortic valve disease
- Whether you need heart surgery to correct another heart problem in addition to aortic valve disease, such as heart bypass surgery to treat coronary artery disease, so both conditions can be treated at once.
Generally, heart valve repair is the primary option because it is linked with a lower risk of infection, maintains valve strength and function, and decreases the requirement to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of your life, which may be unavoidable with certain types of valve replacement.
Aortic valve repair or aortic valve replacement might be done by traditional open-heart surgery, which includes a cut or incision in the chest. It might also be done by using minimally invasive techniques, which include smaller incisions in the chest or a catheter inserted in the leg or chest (transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR).
