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Question:
Is there a better way to do my mitral valve replacement?
I was told by my Doctor that I need my Mitral valve replaced and that since I have had bypass surgery 5 years ago, that he will have to go in from the right side of my chest to repair it. My question is - is there a better way? I found [an article] on the internet and would also like to know if I would be a candidate for such a procedure. . . . "There are several different ways to perform minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Your heart surgeon may make a 2-inch to 3-inch-long incision (cut) in the right part of your chest near the sternum (breastbone). Muscles in the area will be divided so your surgeon can reach the heart. A small cut is made in the left side of your heart so the surgeon can repair or replace the mitral valve. In endoscopic surgery, your surgeon makes 1 to 4 small holes in your chest. Then your surgeon uses special instruments and a camera to do the surgery. For robotically-assisted valve surgery, the surgeon makes 2 to 4 tiny cuts (about ½ to ¾ inch) in your chest. The surgeon uses a special computer to control robotic arms during the surgery. The surgeon sees a 3-dimensional view of the heart and aortic valve on the computer. This method is very precise."
submitted by James from Zanesville, Ohio, on 11/3/09
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiovascular surgeon, Denton A. Cooley, MD
The advice from your surgeon is important. I suggest that the right chest (thoracotomy) offers the optimum approach in this scenario.
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Updated November 2009
