by DrCiuffo | Jun 30, 2015 | Blog, Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair
Our minimally invasive mitral valve repair techniques work for a variety of deformities and malfunctions of mitral valve disease. The two most common issues are mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation. With minimally invasive mitral valve repair, Dr. Ciuffo can repair your malfunctions and improve your quality of life without the pain, recovery time, and scars that come along with traditional cardiac surgery. Mitral Valve Stenosis In its simplest form, mitral valve stenosis is a clogged or tight mitral valve. Due to inflammation or malfunction, the valve does not open as wide as it should, causing blood flow to be restricted. Mitral valve stenosis symptoms include very low energy, lung congestion, and shortness of breath because not enough blood flows through the body. Mitral Valve Regurgitation Mitral valve regurgitation, on the other hand, is a leaky valve. With regurgitation, the mitral valve does not close properly after each heartbeat. Blood flows back into the heart and lungs as a result, making the heart very inefficient. Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation typically include shortness of breath, chest pain, inability to perform physical exercises, weakness, and lung congestion. Make Your Minimally Invasive Consultation Today! Both of these malfunctions can be present in the same mitral valve, but it is extremely important to understand what’s happening in your heart when you’re making your decisions about surgery. Minimally invasive methods have many benefits over traditional surgery, including a nearly invisible scar, quick recovery time, bloodless options, and significantly improved quality of life post-surgery. Hear more about your options and what minimally invasive heart surgery can do for you with a consultation with... by DrCiuffo | May 11, 2015 | Blog, Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair
If a mitral valve can be repaired rather than replaced, patients can avoid the need for blood thinners and decrease the chances of a stroke, which happen more often if a valve replacement is performed instead of a mitral valve repair. Minimally invasive repair techniques are now routinely applied to the majority of patients affected by mitral valve disease with excellent functional and cosmetic results. Mitral Valve Disease Mitral valve disease typically causes two types of malfunctions and deformities of the mitral valve, mitral valve regurgitation and mitral valve stenosis. The graph below shows how the valves work in normal functions, and how the valves are affected by regurgitation and stenosis: Mitral Valve Stenosis – In mitral valve stenosis the valve does not open as wide as it should, causing not enough blood to be pushed through the body and sever shortness of breath and lung congestion with any physical activity. Mitral Valve Regurgitation – With mitral valve regurgitation, the valve leaks oxygenated blood back into the left atrium. This causes severe lung congestion and makes the heart’s action extremely inefficient. In both of these cases, patients have very little energy and strength, cannot perform any physical activities without shortness of breath, and have a very limited life. Mitral Valve Repair Our minimally invasive mitral valve repair techniques allow us to repair or replace defective valves reliably and through a small chest wall incision, with less pain and bleeding, a quick recovery and excellent cosmetic results. Dr. Ciuffo performs the mitral valve repair with long, thin surgical tools and there is no need for bone cutting and a large incision. Dr. Ciuffo can also perform redo mitral...
