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Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: Mitral Valve Replacement IncisionForum: The Heart Forum
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I wrote a novel, "Coppertone", last fall about a young woman with MVP. She develops endocarditis after an auto crash and she eventually requires a mitral valve replcement. Question - what sort of incision scar would she be left with? Is "neck to navel" a possibility? (as I now describe it) She is 28 at time of surgery and this is a first time proceedure for her. This detail is an important plot element, so I want to get it right. Thanks
Dear RP, thank you for your question. Congratulations on your novel. If your character only had mitral valve replacement and no other surgery, she would be left with a scar that runs down her entire sternum, but that ends before the abdomen. Also, there would be two small scars in the upper abdomen (< 3 cm) from where chest tubes left the body to drain intrathoracic fluid and blood immediately after the surgery. Alternatively, she could have minimally invasive mitral valve replacement and be left with a 10-12 cm scar to the side of the sternum that runs parallel to the ribs. Whether she has minimally invasive surgery would depend on the extent of valve damage from the endocarditis, the surgeon's expertise with the procedure, and her preferences. Thus, my advice would be to stick with the traditional sternotomy scar. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck! If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
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