Aortic Valve Repair

Aortic valve repairs are a very rare procedure to administer because the aortic valve is normally replaced. The reason replacement is normally chosen over a repair is because the procedure itself is less likely to fail. Even though an aortic valve repair is a more complex procedure than an aortic valve replacement, it does have some exceptional benefits for the patient undergoing the procedure. One benefit an aortic valve repair has is that it preserves the patent's valve tissue. Preserving the patient's valve tissue is very beneficial because it obviates the need for blood thinners that one would have to take if a mechanical valve was implemented. Blood thinners are used to prevent blood clots that otherwise have the possibility to form when mechanical valves are implemented. Repairing the valve just makes it so that the heart keeps its original internal structure, so that way after the surgery is done, the heart valve is as good as new.

The procedure for the aortic valve replacement was not as different as I thought it would be. Cardioplegia was still induced, and the patient was still put on bypass to arrest the heart so that it could be operated on. One of the major differences that I saw within this procedure was the use of an ice pack. An ice pack was put beneath the heart to cool it down and to preserve its cellular function. The function of the ice pack relates to the fact that the aortic valve repair can fail, and if the valve needs to be replace immediately after, the procedure will take longer than expected. The longer the procedure goes on, the more the cells of the heart need to be preserved, as there is no blood flow reaching the heart when it is arrested. The instrument used to repair the heart valve had a circular shape to it, and served as a template to bring the unevenly oriented valves that caused regurgitation together. Bringing the valves together would stop the valves from leaking, hence curing the patient.