Information About Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

The aortic valve is located between the aorta and the left ventricle. Normally, it should be tricuspid (has three leaflets) but about 2% of the population only have bicuspid aortic valves (two leaflets) when they are born.

The aortic valve has two main functions. It is the passageway for oxygenated blood to leave the heart towards the aorta and go to the different parts of our body. It also prevents the blood that has already left the heart from flowing back when the heart relaxes right after a contraction.

As we age, the aortic valve tends to become harder and thicker so the heart has to work harder in order to do its main function of pumping blood.

This hardening and thickening of the aortic valve is called aortic stenosis. If it gets too thick and gets in the way of normal blood flow, a procedure called aortic valve replacement surgery is needed.

Causes of Aortic Stenosis

Some conditions are known to cause aortic stenosis and the need for aortic valve replacement surgery. The first condition that causes aortic stenosis is having only a bicuspid (two leaflets) aortic valve instead of the normal tricuspid (three leaflets) aortic valve.

When a person only has a bicuspid aortic valve, it has to work harder in order to compensate for the missing leaflet. This causes excessive wear and tear of the bicuspid aortic valve and decreases its effectiveness in doing its functions. For patients under 65 years of age, this is the usual cause of aortic stenosis.

The second condition that causes aortic stenosis is senile calcific aortic stenosis. When people get older, the leaflets of the valve get damaged and calcium deposits start to accumulate. This decreases mobility and impedes normal blood flow. This happens only to some people and it is still not known why it doesn’t happen to most people. For patients above 65 years of age, this is the usual cause of aortic stenosis.

The third condition that causes aortic stenosis is scarring of the aortic valve due to rheumatic fever as a young adult or as a child. Rheumatic fever can cause damage on the valve leaflets thus impeding blood flow. This damage can also cause blood flow going back to the left ventricle or aortic regurgitation. Rheumatic heart disease is not common in developed countries.

What is Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery?

Aortic valve replacement surgery is simply replacing the defective aortic valve with a new one. This procedure is a little complicated because open heart surgery is necessary but it normally lasts two to three hours only. Aortic valve replacement surgery has a very low mortality rate of 2%.

A tissue valve or a mechanical valve can be used to change the defective aortic valve. Tissue valves are made from the pericardium (cover layer of a pig or cow’s heart) but this kind of replacement valve only lasts around 10 to 15 years. This is more commonly used because when mechanical valves are used, blood thinner is necessary to be regularly taken by the person to prevent blood clots. The advantage of a mechanical valve is that it normally lasts forever.

By: Rochelle Stenway

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Rochelle Stenway writes on a wide range of topics. Learn more about aortic valve replacement surgery and check out her latest article about how to season a cast iron skillet today!