How can surgery help with treating mitral valve regurgitation?
ANSWER
Sometimes, a surgeon can fix your valve. If it has to be replaced, they can implant either a man-made device or one taken from a cow, a pig, or a person who died and donated the organ. They may also use a catheter to insert a clothespin-like device called a MitraClip which helps the valve close more completely and improve blood flow.
People who have had valve surgery are often asked to take antibiotics before they have dental work or other surgery to prevent endocarditis, or infwction of the heart valves or inner lining of the heart. You should ask your doctor whether you’ll need to take them.
Reviewed by James Beckerman on August 08, 2020
SOURCES:
News release, University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Mayo Clinic, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, “Overview,” “Diagnosis,” “Treatment.”
Northwestern Medicine, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute: “Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Stenosis, and Prolapse.”
Columbia University Medical Center: “Mitral Regurgitation.”
National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine.
Texas Heart Institute.
American Heart Association.
Heikkinen, J. Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal, September 2005.
SOURCES:
News release, University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Mayo Clinic, Mitral Valve Regurgitation, “Overview,” “Diagnosis,” “Treatment.”
Northwestern Medicine, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute: “Mitral Valve Regurgitation, Stenosis, and Prolapse.”
Columbia University Medical Center: “Mitral Regurgitation.”
National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine.
Texas Heart Institute.
American Heart Association.
Heikkinen, J. Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal, September 2005.
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