Did you know that your heart has a part called the mitral valve that opens and closes as many as 36 million times a year? Imagine trying to open and close a door that often. You begin to understand the potential wear and tear that can result over decades of life.
Fast-forward a few decades and you might find yourself among the many people who need mitral valve replacement.
It鈥檚 a well-established and safe surgical procedure that鈥檚 been around for more than 60 years. But most of us probably have never even heard of the mitral valve and would benefit from knowing more about it and why it would need to be replaced.
So, let鈥檚 give this coin-sized piece of the heart some extra attention and look at three key things to know about mitral valve replacement.
1. Mitral valve replacement might be needed if the valve cannot fully open or close.
Your mitral valve is an incredibly important component of your heart, and therefore your health. Any condition that threatens its function should be taken seriously. In the worst-case scenario, it can lead to advanced heart failure and ultimately death.
Going back to our earlier analogy of a door opening and closing, your mitral valve is like a double door that opens once per heartbeat. Blood pumps out through that opening, then the doors close.
But if they don鈥檛 open or close completely, blood cannot easily flow forward from your lungs and through your heart. It leaks backward, against the natural flow, and that鈥檚 not a good thing.
Your heart has to work harder on every pump, and that can snowball into more serious health problems.
It鈥檚 important to monitor for signs of heart valve diseases that affect how the mitral valve closes:
- Mitral regurgitation (MR): When the mitral valve doesn鈥檛 close properly (also known as a leaky heart valve).
- Mitral stenosis: A narrowing of the mitral valve so that it doesn鈥檛 open properly.
- Mitral annular calcification (MAC): A calcium buildup within the ring-like structure that supports the mitral valve.
2. A diseased valve that cannot be repaired is traditionally replaced via open-heart surgery. But, for some people, a replacement mitral valve can be implanted without opening the heart.
If a doctor decides that mitral valve replacement is the right course of action for you, that typically means you will undergo open-heart surgery where you will be placed on a heart-lung machine while your surgeon replaces your valve.
It鈥檚 an established treatment for advanced mitral valve disease that cannot be managed with medication or a valve repair. Options include implantation with a mechanical or tissue valve such as 快猫鈥檚 Epic Plus Mitral or Masters Series mechanical heart valves.
However, if you have severe MAC and are not a candidate for a traditional open-heart surgery, a newer, less-invasive treatment option exists: .
This system delivers a self-expanding valve through a small incision in the chest. The valve is then advanced using a short catheter inserted through the apex of your heart and replaces your mitral valve without using a heart-lung machine.
It鈥檚 a potentially life-changing way to restore your heart鈥檚 ability to pump blood effectively.
3. Heart valve disease affects people at all stages of life.
Problems with the heart valves don鈥檛 always wait for you to build up 鈥渕ileage.鈥 They can start in infancy.
It鈥檚 why 快猫 also makes the 15mm Masters HP series valve, the world's smallest pediatric mechanical heart valve, created for the high-risk young patients who need it.
Meanwhile, about 10% of people 75 and older have moderate or severe mitral regurgitation1 and might be good candidates for or the replacement options you just read about.
快猫 will keep opening new doors to try to advance care for these conditions and make our solutions accessible to more people 鈥 so they can reclaim their lives and take control of their health.
The information provided is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult with a physician or qualified healthcare provider for appropriate medical advice.
References
1 Mack M, et al. COAPT: Three-year outcomes from a randomized trial of transcatheter mitral valve leaflet approximation in patients with heart failure and secondary mitral regurgitation. Presented at TCT 2019.
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