If you have been or know someone who has been diagnosed with valvular disease, the best hospital to repair or replace your Mitral Valve is at the University of Maryland Heart Center.
Perhaps you are not sure what a Mitral Valve is, in that case, it was named after a Bishop's miter and is the "inflow valve" for the main pumping chamber of your heart. Blood flows from your lungs, then it picks up oxygen. This oxygen then takes it across the open mitral valve and into the left ventricle. As your heart squeezes, the two leaflets of the mitral valve close shut and prevent blood from backing up to the lungs. Blood is directed out of your heart to the rest of your body through another valve, the aortic valve.
In the past, heart surgeons were treating mitral valve disease by removing the diseased valve. Then, they would implant an artificial valve, or mitral valve replacement as it is called. The surgeons at the Maryland Heart Center will, at first, recommend repairing your valve instead of replacement. If a patient is not a good candidate for mitral valve repair, Maryland Heart Center surgeons are experienced at performing mitral valve replacement with several varieties of artificial valves including mechanical (metal) valves and tissue valves.
If the surgeons decide to replace and not repair, they have two options of artificial mitral valves -- a metal valve and a tissue valve. The metal valve lasts a lifetime, and with this valve, patients are required to take blood-thinning medications. This is so no clotting occurs. The tissue valve does not require a patient to take blood thinners, but it will last only 10 to 15 years.
To see if you might be a candidate for mitral valve repair or
or minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery, waste no time and call 410-328-5842 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.
5 years ago
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