Page 28 - Mended Hearts-HeartGuide
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WHAT’S NEW IN Balloon Valve Repair: A balloon valvuloplasty is a less-invasive valve repair for
VALVE REPLACEMENTS? stenosis. A surgeon inserts a catheter with a balloon at its tip through a blood
vessel to the faulty valve in the heart. The doctor inflates the balloon to widen
Transcatheter Aortic Valve the valve’s opening. It is then deflated and removed along with the catheter.
Replacement (TAVR) is a newer, Balloon valvuloplasty patients typically have a shorter recovery time than surgery,
minimally invasive procedure but although effective at treating the symptoms of heart valve disease, it may not
for treating faulty aortic valves. cure it. This also doesn’t work as well for adult patients with aortic valve stenosis.
This technique inserts a catheter
into the groin artery or under the Valve Replacement: If a repair is not an option, a surgeon may need to
left breast and pushes it to the replace the valve. He or she will remove the damaged valve and replace it
heart. The tip of the catheter has with either a biological valve constructed of human or animal tissue, or a
a deflated balloon with a folded mechanical valve made of plastic, carbon, or metal. There are trade-offs with
replacement valve around it. each type: Biological valves generally last from 10 to 20 years, but then require
Once the valve is in place, the replacement; mechanical valves generally don’t need replacement, but patients
balloon is inflated to expand the must take blood-thinning medications for life to prevent blood clots from
new valve so it fits snugly within forming on the valve.
the old valve. Then the balloon
is deflated and removed along Angioplasty
with the catheter.
Angioplasty—with or without a stent—may be an option for patients who are
Generally reserved for patients unable to reduce the effects of plaque buildup in the arteries through medication
at high risk to undergo valve and lifestyle changes alone. This simple, less invasive, nonsurgical procedure
replacement surgery, these involves the insertion of a tiny “balloon” in the coronary artery that is inflated at
procedures tend to result in the blockage site to compress the plaque and stretch open the artery.
shorter hospital stays, ranging
from three to five days, as Considerations
opposed to five or more days for
traditional heart valve surgery. Often seen as a possible treatment short of coronary artery bypass surgery,
Recovery time also tends to be angioplasty does not require the doctor to make an incision or put you under
shorter, from two to four weeks anesthesia. Recovery time is shorter. If stents are used, they may turn out to
compared with six to eight be a temporary solution and also carry risks of blood clots (see page 37 on
weeks for traditional surgery. medicines, anticoagulants, and antiplatelets).
How it Works
Depending on your condition, one or more stents—small wire mesh tubes
put over the balloon catheter—may be implanted to keep the artery open
and reduce re-narrowing. When the balloon is inflated, the stent expands and
locks in position to help keep the artery open. Stents coated with medicine to
prevent the artery from re-narrowing may also be used.
The procedure is often performed using an artery in your arm or groin called
the femoral artery. A local anesthetic is usually injected into the area where
the balloon catheter is inserted, and the patient’s heart rate and rhythm are
monitored through small electrode pads placed on the chest. The entire
process usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending
on the type and amount of blockage.
24 Mended Hearts HeartGuide
