Heart Disease Health Center

Valve replacement surgery is the only cure for sudden (acute) aortic valve regurgitation or for long-term (chronic) regurgitation when symptoms develop or signs show that the lower left heart chamber (left ventricle) is starting to fail.

The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines recommend having aortic valve replacement surgery if you have severe regurgitation and one of the following conditions:¹

• You have symptoms.
• Your ejection fraction drops below 50% at rest.
• Your left ventricle enlarges to more than 55 millimeters at rest.
• You are going to have another open-heart surgery such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Your doctor may recommend that you have surgery even if you do not have symptoms, because symptoms typically only occur after the condition has progressed to the point that it has already damaged the heart.

If you choose to have aortic valve replacement surgery , you can expect to live to a normal or near-normal life expectancy. There are some risks associated with surgery. But the risk of dying during surgery overall is still reasonably low (5% or less).¹ You may be at higher risk for complications if your left ventricle is working poorly. Surgery may not be recommended in some people who are in extremely poor health.

If you have valve replacement surgery, a mechanical or tissue valve will be used to replace your heart valve. Before you have surgery, you and your doctor will decide on which type of valve is right for you. To help with this decision, see:

Heart valve problems: Should I choose a mechanical valve or tissue valve to replace my heart valve?