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Narrowing or insufficiency detected in one or more heart valves is treated by valve repair (plasti) or replacement (replacement). The heart is a powerful pump composed of strong muscles, continuously circulating the 5-7 liters of blood present in the body. This means pumping an average of 7,500 liters of blood per day. Heart valves are structures within this system that ensure unidirectional flow. There are four valves located between the heart chambers: aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary. Narrowing of a heart valve makes it difficult for blood to pass through, while valve insufficiency causes backflow of blood, increasing the heart's workload. In both cases, the heart muscle is strained, and the heart chambers enlarge, leading to heart enlargement. If left untreated, the heart's normal functions are impaired, and heart failure occurs. Mitral and aortic valve diseases are the most common.
Surgical intervention may be necessary for two main types of valve disease:
Stenosis: Narrowing of the valve
Insufficiency: Incomplete closure of the valve
Heart valve surgery is performed by a cardiovascular surgeon. To reach the diseased valve, the surgeon must open the heart. In this case, it is necessary to stop the heart by connecting the patient to a heart-lung machine. In these surgeries, the surgeon can replace the diseased valve with a prosthetic valve—referred to as replacement—although repair, or plasti, is preferentially attempted, especially for mitral and tricuspid valves. In elderly individuals, the most frequent cause of valve disease is the thickening and calcification of the valve leaflets, commonly known as heart valve thickening, resulting in insufficient opening of the heart valves and subsequent narrowing.
In what diseases is heart valve replacement surgery performed?
Surgical intervention may be necessary for two main types of valve disease:
Stenosis: Narrowing of the valve
Insufficiency: Incomplete closure of the valve
Heart valve surgery is performed by a cardiovascular surgeon. To reach the diseased valve, the surgeon must open the heart. In this case, it is necessary to stop the heart by connecting the patient to a heart-lung machine. In these surgeries, the surgeon can replace the diseased valve with a prosthetic valve—referred to as replacement—although repair, or plasti, is preferentially attempted, especially for mitral and tricuspid valves. In elderly individuals, the most frequent cause of valve disease is the thickening and calcification of the valve leaflets, commonly known as heart valve thickening, resulting in insufficient opening of the heart valves and subsequent narrowing.