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The main job of the heart is to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. To do this, it pumps 60 to 90 times per minute, for a total of more than 42 million heartbeats per year!
The heart consists of four chambers. The two upper receiving chambers are called atria; the lower pumping chambers are the ventricles. Because the ventricles do the hard work of pumping blood through the body, they are larger than the atria. Heart valves direct the flow of blood between the chambers of the heart. These valves are like one-way doors, allowing the blood to flow forward to the next chamber. Often, Dr. Bell-Thomson will want to repair damage to your valve if possible. If this is not possible, he will replace the valve to maximize your well-being. Whenever possible, a minimally invasive approach through much smaller incisions is used, on the midline for aortic valve surgery and in the right sub-mammary fold for surgery of the mitral valve.
When selecting the appropriate valve for your condition, Dr. Bell-Thomson will weigh many complex factors. These include age, disease process, heart size as well as the ability and willingness to take certain medications. For example, mechanical heart valves require that you take an anticoagulant called Coumadin that will need adjustment of the dosage to fit your particular needs and therefore a blood sample will need to be drawn once a month or at longer intervals depending upon your private medical physician's recommendation. Your preferences will impact the type of valve that Dr. Bell-Thomson selects for you.
Below are charts illustrating SURGXL's statistics for and
The symptoms associated with mitral valve disease are usually related to the inability of the valve to function properly either because it does not open completely (stenosis) or because it does not close properly (regurgitation). This causes blood to back up in the lungs; the most common symptom is that of shortness of breath and a feeling of fatigue and tiredness.
Dr. Bell-Thomson's preference is to repair the mitral valve whenever possible. However, there are circumstances in which the valve has been so destroyed by the disease process that a repair is not possible and a replacement is necessary. The tissue prosthesis that Dr. Bell-Thomson has used for valve replacement for many years is a pericardial tissue valve manufactured by Edwards Life sciences. The mechanical prosthesis Dr. Bell-Thomson has used for repairs for over 25 years is the St. Jude Medical heart valve.
Very often mitral valve disease is associated with atrial fibrillation, which is a disturbance of the cardiac rhythm that occurs when the atria do not contract synchronously but fibrillate without contributing to the filling of the ventricles. New technology now available has made it possible to treat this condition surgically by creating a pathway that allows for resynchronization of the heartbeat with a contraction of the atria that contributes to the filling of the ventricles and maintains a regular rhythm. Dr. Bell-Thomson's preference for this procedure is to use the
cryoablation probe that employs argon gas to freeze the atria wall and form an electrical barrier in the upper chambers of the heart. A maze or pathway is created, which blocks erratic electrical activity. This procedure stops atrial fibrillation and allows for resynchronization of the heartbeat."
The aortic valve is the outlet valve from the left ventricle and usually requires repair or replacement when it either does not open completely or does not close properly and therefore blood leaks back into the left ventricle. The symptoms most often associated with aortic valve disease are shortness of breath, chest pain and syncope usually associated with exertion. Dr. Bell-Thomson's preference is to repair the valve when possible. However, it most often requires a replacement and for this, again the two most common prostheses used are the pericardial tissue valve manufactured by Edwards Life sciences and the St. Jude Medical mechanical heart valve. There are some indications where a human aortic valve or homograft is preferred and Dr. Bell-Thomson is always willing to discuss this possibility with you.
The tricuspid valve is the inlet valve to the right side of the heart and sometimes is affected by the same disease process that involves the mitral or aortic valves. When the tricuspid valve either does not open properly or leaks severely, it most often can be repaired. Only when the valve is destroyed by the disease process is it necessary to replace it. Dr. Bell-Thomson's preference for this procedure is a tissue valve manufactured by Edwards Life sciences.
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