Your heart is the chief primary pump of your body, its main function being to pump and circulate oxygenated blood all through your body and deoxygenated blood back to the lungs for removal. The heart is a pump, with heart valves that allow blood to flow in a single direction throughout the heart. There are four valves that determine the flow of blood through the heart. A heart valve is a kind of one-way door that can either open or close based on the changes in blood pressure. Out of these, the tricuspid valve is a 3-walled valve separating the right upper chamber (or atrium) and the right lower chamber (or ventricle) of the heart. If there is a defect in the tricuspid valve, this could be a possible indication for tricuspid valve replacement.
What are the methods of fixing damaged tricuspid valves ?
There are two main methods.
- Tricuspid Valve Repair and
- Tricuspid Valve Replacement
What is tricuspid valve repair surgery ?
There are two basic ways of repairing a damaged valve, which can either be done separately or together.
- Annuloplasty involves surgically repairing the ring of tissue to which the flaps are attached (this ring is called the annulus), by joining a loop of tissue, cloth or even metal to it.
- Resection as the name suggests, involves surgically trimming and/or reshaping the flaps
themselves.
Tricuspid valve repair surgery can either be done as an open surgery or as minimally invasive surgery. What open surgery means is that the surgeon will open your chest and heart to remove the damaged excess parts of the cusp of the valve and sew the edges together. It can also be repaired by tightening or shortening the cords that connect to the valve similar to making the door hinges work better. In case the valve is too enlarged, special prosthetic or annuloplasty rings can be inserted to narrow the valve and reinforce it. In case the valve is too narrow, the method to open it is by “balloon valvotomy”. In this procedure, a specialized catheter with a balloon at its tip will be inserted into an artery either in the arm or groin. Once it reaches the valve, the balloon is inflated; the valve is expanded and then both catheter and balloon are removed also via the same route. The advantage of this procedure is that the persons own valvular tissues are used for repair (not external or synthetic valves as is used in heart valve replacement). The surgical procedure is performed under the influence of general anesthesia mostly and requires a dedicated change in lifestyle and rehabilitative exercises to help recover full heart function.
How to find and reach heart surgeons for tricuspid valve repair surgery ?
Now you can find and reach heart surgeons from different hospitals and destinations on a single platform, Hinfoways. You can avail opinions and information from multiple heart surgeons, get cost estimates for tricuspid valve repair surgery from different heart hospitals, compare things and then choose a heart surgeon for tricuspid valve repair surgery.
Find, reach and choose a heart surgeon for tricuspid valve repair surgery on Hinfoways. Make an informed choice.
Disclaimer: The content provided here is meant for general informational purposes only and hence SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, care or evaluation by a qualified doctor/physician or other relevantly qualified healthcare provider.
