Malfunctioning valves result from congenital defects, illness or use of certain medications. As a result of the new procedure, patient Richard Sozio's pain and recovery time will be lessened considerably. He is expected to be released from the hospital this week. Most patients who have the minimally invasive surgery return to their normal routines within a week or two of going home. Repair can be done earlier in the course of the disease, avoiding silent damage to the heart muscle.
Earlier repair insures better long-term heart function and better heart response to exercise.
In traditional surgery to repair or replace valves, surgeons saw through the patient's breastbone and spread the ribcage to reach the heart, a trauma that causes significant post-surgical pain, requires a lengthy recovery period and can lead to severe complications. Convalescence from the traditional open-chest surgery runs from three to six months. About 35,000 persons in the United States were hospitalized for mitral valve disorders in 1994. The potential for cost savings with the minimally invasive technique is enormous, said March. When a heart valve is replaced, usually with a mechanical valve, patients must take blood thinner medication for the rest of their lives, adding a risk of bleeding not present when valves are repaired, according to March.