Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery in Bangalore

Overview

The mitral valve is a flap-like structure placed between the conjunction of the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart. It ensures the unidirectional blood flow from the heart’s left atrium to the left ventricle.

Mitral valve surgery is performed to either repair or replace the heart valve in case of a leaky or stiff mitral valve. Mitral valve replacement surgery is performed when there is too much damage to the mitral valve and no scope for fixing or repairing it. Consult the highly experienced cardiologists and surgeons at Apollo Hospitals, Karnataka, to see which type of surgery is needed in your case.

What is Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery?

Mitral valve replacement surgery is an operation on the mitral valve of the heart performed either as an open heart surgery or as a robot-assisted, minimally invasive surgery. The experienced board-certified surgeons at Apollo Hospitals, Karnataka, may remove some parts of the mitral valve and put a new one into its place. This kind of surgery requires 3-4 hours, and all-inclusive care is provided to the patient.

The replacement of the mitral valve can be made of two types of material:

• Mechanical – The valve is made of man-made materials, such as titanium and carbon, which are long-lasting. Such a type of replacement may require patients to intake blood thinning medicine.
• Biological – For this type of valve, human or animal tissue is used. These valves may last more than 15 years and may not require blood thinning medicine.

Why is Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery Required?

Surgery of the mitral valve may be required if the person becomes afflicted with diseases/conditions associated with the mitral valve of the heart, such as:

• Mitral Valve Regurgitation, where the flaps of the Mitral valve do not close tightly, causing backflow of blood,
• Mitral Valve Stenosis occurs due to stiffening of the valve, causing the flaps to fuse together and leading to reduced flow of blood through the heart and to the entire body.

If the symptoms of mitral valve diseases are mild, taking proper medication may help. But if the problem becomes progressive and causes definite obstruction or leakage in the flow of blood, replacement surgery is recommended, for which you can totally rely on India’s best board-certified cardiologists and surgeons at Apollo Hospitals, Karnataka.

How is Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery Performed?

Before the procedure, the patient is put under general anaesthesia and is connected to a heart-lung bypass machine to keep the continuity of blood flow throughout the body. During a robot-assisted mitral valve replacement, the heart surgeon removes the mitral valve from its position and replaces it with a mechanical (man-made) valve or a biological valve.

Robotic mitral valve replacement surgery is mainly a minimally invasive procedure performed by the best surgeons using robotic arms via controllers. In this type of procedure, minimal as well as minute incisions are made using the robotic arms, making highly precise movements throughout the procedure. This type of procedure ensures that there are lesser cuts and minimal risk of infection with minimal blood loss and scarring.

Risks & Complications of Robotic Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery

Like it is with any heart surgery, a robotic mitral valve replacement surgery also comes with some risk factors that may arise as a result of the surgery. These risks and complications include the following:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Malfunction of the replaced Mitral Valve
• Irregular Heartbeats (Arrhythmias)
• Infection
• Stroke

Surgery Aftercare

After a robotic mitral valve replacement surgery, the recovery period is smaller, ensuring a shorter hospital stay as well as lesser dependence on narcotics before surgery or for recovery. Patients undergoing robot-assisted mitral valve replacement surgery require fewer physical therapy sessions. Although patients may require to be kept in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for a day or two for critical observation post-operation, the hospital stay length depends upon the condition of the heart and the type of surgery.

During the hospital stay, the patient is administered fluids through the IV (Intravenous) tubes, oxygen is supplied, and pain relieving medication is administered by the cardiologist.

Results of Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery

The robot-assisted mitral valve replacement surgery helps improve the quality of life for patients suffering from ailments associated with the Mitral Valve. Patients who have mechanical valves in place are required to be under blood thinning medication throughout the rest of their lives, while patients who have a biological valve in place do not require such medications. However, as biological valves tend to degrade over time, replacement of faulty valves from time to time becomes necessary.

Regular checkups and follow-up visits are required to inspect the health of the replaced valve. Patients may be put under cardiac rehabilitation if required.

The success of a robotic mitral valve replacement surgery can be maintained by following a healthy lifestyle which includes eating a healthy diet, not consuming alcohol and tobacco, and exercising regularly. You consult the best Cardiac Surgeons and cardiologists in Karnataka at Apollo Hospitals to understand your personalised treatments.