Mitral Valve Repair
Mitral Valve Repair is an alternative to conventional open heart surgery – the traditional way to treat mitral valve disease. Compared to valve replacement, mitral valve repair provides better long-term survival, better preservation of heart function, lower risk of complications, and usually eliminates the need for long-term use of blood thinners (anticoagulants).
Our da Vinci program can help your surgeon repair your valve and help you avoid mitral valve replacement, in which your natural valve tissues are cut away and replaced with an artificial valve. This is important because a repair can provide you with many significant advantages as compared with mitral valve replacement.
In addition to avoiding the pain and trauma of sternotomy and rib spreading, da Vinci Mitral Valve repair may provide patients with the following benefits over open surgery:
- Less risk of infection
- Less blood loss and need for blood transfusions
- Shorter hospital stay
- Significantly less pain and scarring
- Faster recovery
- Quicker return to normal activities.
- And a potentially better clinical outcome
As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is both patient- and procedure-specific. While da Vinci Mitral Valve Repair is considered safe and effective, it may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.