Heart Valve Replacement surgery is done to correct any ailment of the valves. The valves are the most important organs of the human body that help in the proper functioning of the heart.
Heart valve replacement surgery can be done either in a natural (biologic) or artificial (mechanical) way. Human donors provide natural valves in biologic valve replacement surgery. Modified natural valves come from animal donors in valve replacement. Artificial valves are made of metal.
One of the advantages of having natural valves in heart valve surgery is that they rarely require lifelong medication. On the other hand, a heart valve replacement surgery patient receiving an artificial valve may need to take lifelong medication to prevent blood clots.
Generally, a doctor recommends heart valve surgery if there is narrowing known as stenosis, or the leaking of the heart valve, also known as regurgitation.
There are many reasons to undergo heart valve surgery for valve caused by birth defects, calcium deposits (calcification), infections such as rheumatic fever, and other external reasons like medications. If the doctor recommends valve replacement surgery, then it should be done immediately as defective valves may result in serious problems like congestive heart failure and infections (infective endocarditis).
Though there are very, very few risks of heart valve replacement surgery like reaction to medications, infections etc, yet till date the success rate of heart valve surgery is high. Valve replacement surgery can relieve all the painfulness of the heart and in fact also prolong your life.
The recovery period of valve replacement surgery differs from patient to patient. Though the hospital may discharge you after a few days of the valve replacement surgery, it takes 6-8 weeks for a heart valve replacement surgery patient to return to normalcy.
