Heart Valve Disease

Open Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement Surgery

Located between the heart’s upper and lower left chambers, the mitral valve is one of four heart valves that control blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. If you have severe mitral valve disease, your provider may recommend open heart surgery to repair or replace your damaged valve.

Make an Appointment

Call 216-844-3800

Find a Heart Valve Doctor

Who Needs Open Mitral Valve Repair or Replacement Surgery?

Open heart surgery is a type of surgery that involves opening your chest wall so that the surgeon can access your heart more easily. Doctors generally recommend open mitral valve repair over replacement when possible. Mitral valve repair keeps the existing heart valve and can lead to better heart function.

Your doctor may recommend open mitral valve repair or replacement surgery if you have:

Mitral valve regurgitation: The mitral valve’s flaps (leaflets) don’t close tightly, causing blood to leak backward through the valve. Mitral valve repair surgery is typically recommended for people with severe mitral valve regurgitation symptoms.
Mitral valve stenosis: The mitral valve opening narrows, causing decreased blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle. The narrowing usually occurs because the valve’s leaflets have grown abnormally stiff or thick. Mitral valve surgery may be recommended if the stenosis is severe and causes shortness of breath and other symptoms that can affect quality of life.

Risks & Complications

Possible risks of open mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement surgery include:

Blood clots
Bleeding
Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
Heart block
Failure of the replacement valve
Infection
Stroke

Benefits

Benefits of open mitral valve replacement include:

Takes less time than repair surgery.
Less complex than repair surgery.
Lowers the likelihood of needing another surgery in the future.

Open mitral valve repair has a few advantages over valve replacement, including:

Higher chances of surviving the surgery and longer life expectancy following surgery.
Heart function better preserved.
Lower risk of complications such as stroke and endocarditis.
Life-long use of blood thinners (anticoagulants) is not required.

What to Expect

Before

You will receive general anesthesia to put you in a sleep-like state during the surgery. You are connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which takes over the work of your heart and lungs during your surgery.

During

In both open mitral valve repair and replacement surgery, your surgeon will access the heart through a sternotomy, using a large vertical cut through the breastbone to open the chest.

During open mitral valve repair surgery, your surgeon may perform the following:

Reconnect the mitral valve flaps.
Patch holes in the mitral valve.
Remove extra tissue from the valve so that the flaps can close more completely.
Replace or remove diseased chordae (chords), which are tough, fibrous strings that support the mitral valve, connecting it to the ventricles of the heart.
Separate leaflets that have become connected.
Perform an annuloplasty to reshape, reinforce or tighten the ring that surrounds the mitral valve (annulus). Annuloplasty may be done alone or in combination with other heart valve repair techniques.

During open mitral valve replacement surgery, your surgeon removes the diseased valve and replaces it with a new mechanical valve or a valve made from pig, cow or human heart tissue.

After

After an open mitral valve repair or replacement surgery, you can expect to:

Spend one or two days in the ICU, where you’re closely monitored, checking your pulse, breathing and other vital signs.
Spend several more days recovering in a hospital room.
Receive medication for arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) if you had valve replacement surgery. Arrhythmias are common after valve replacement. You may also temporarily need a pacemaker to correct an arrhythmia.
If you had valve replacement surgery, you will begin anticoagulation therapy to reduce the risk of getting a blood clot. If you received a biological valve, you’ll likely need to take anticoagulation medication for up to three months. If you received a mechanical valve, you’ll need to take anticoagulation medication for life.
Learn about cardiac rehab, which can aid recovery from both mitral valve repair or replacement surgery.
Learn how to care for your incision at home.

Recovery for Open Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement Surgery

Recovery from open mitral valve repair or replacement surgery typically takes four to eight weeks, though it can take longer for some people. Factors that affect your recovery include:

The severity of mitral valve disease prior to surgery. Patients who had severe mitral valve regurgitation or reduced heart function typically need more time to regain their strength.
Your general health before your surgery: For example, if you had heart failure or kidney failure, your recovery will be slower.
The type of surgery: If in addition to valve replacement you had other heart procedures done, your recovery may take longer.

Everyone’s recovery is different. It’s important to let your body rest and accept help from others as you heal. Your provider will let you know when it’s safe for you to:

Lift heavy objects.
Take walks or engage in other forms of exercise.
Drive.

Why Choose UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute?

UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute serves Northeast Ohio communities and beyond with award-winning heart and vascular expertise. We’re recognized as a best-in-class choice by patients and healthcare providers. Our heart and vascular specialists consistently earn high ratings on HCAHPS patient experience surveys and provider review sites like Healthgrades and RateMDs. In addition to clinical practice, our physicians are advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine and surgery by leading nationally funded clinical trials.