mittal valve surgery

[lou bell]

I am looking for informatuion on the long term outlook for people that have had mitral valve repair surgery.I had the keyhole procedure at Duke 3 years ago.I would like to have anyresearch info on how patients do in the long term,if any problems have occured and if the procedure is having to be repeated.I am aware that each case is different,im only interested in the over all view,,,thank you

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Lou,
In general terms the outlook is very good.  I'm not aware of any published series of patients with this particular procedure but I know of no problems with it either.  In some cases a second surgery will be needed and usually valve replacement is the option chosen if this is the case.  You could also check with your surgeon's office to see if he/she has published any case reports or data concerning long-term outcomes of this surgery.

[Stan H]

I had a mitral valve repair done in May of '99.  I have done a fair amount of research on the post-op prognosis and the results for the first 15 years of mitral valve repair seem to be very positive.  Most problems seem to occur fairly soon after surgery, including transient a-fib, visual disturbances (apparently related to the heart/lung bypass rather than the valve surgery itself), and/or leaking through or around the valve itself.  Leakage is obviously the most serious complication and typically mandates a replacement.  The vast majority of valve repair patients appear to be "fixed" with no serious long term effects.  Let's hope this trend continues.

[Chris S.]

I also had mitral valve repair in May,2000 and have done a lot for research and agree with Stan H. If you have access to your hospital librarian, they can search "Medline" for articles under terms such "mitral valve repair outcomes." I have many of these. You can also search under the name of your "ring" if you have one (e.g. Carpentier-Edwards) and find good stuff. If you can register on some cardiology sites they provide access to Medline as well. Good lucks.

[Paul M.]

Dear Lou, My mitral valve was causing typical symptoms and my surgeon was hoping to be able to perform repair surgery. After doing a TEE, it was determined that the valve was so messed up that valve replacement was called for.  If you have to have the valve replaced, the result will hopefully be positive.  My valve was replaced with a mechanical mitral valve from Carbomedics.  My heart surgeon, Dr. Louis Kanda, at the Washington Hospital Center is reputed to be one of the best in the business. When I had my yearly Echo to check the valve's function, the technician observed that the surgeon who had performed the surgery did beautiful work.  When I told her who my surgeon was, she was not surprised as she had seen the results of many of his surgeries. My dosage of coumadin has been regulated very well since shortly after the surgery in October of 1998 and taking a pill once a day is no big deal. I feel great and am able to do anything that I want to.  I am 52 years old  and I just praise the Lord for the whole experience concerning my heart surgery.  Sorry to go on and on about valve replacement when you had asked for comments about valve repair.  I hope that everything works out for you!!

[Tom M]

I had mitro valve repair surgery on March 23, 2000. The surgery went well and no leak was noticed at all in the operating room following the procedure. About two weeks after the surgery, a heart murmur was noticed again. An Echo done in June showed that the valve was leaking again and my cardioligist is recommending the surgery again as soon as possible. I will be going to Mayo Clinic possibly in Nov. to get another opinion. If his feelings are the same, I may be having surgery to try to repair the valve again in Dec. They are not able to explain at this time why the valve started leaking again. They say that its may be possible that a stitch may have slipped although it is not known at this time.