Blood flows out of your heart and into the aorta through a tube called the aortic valve. It opens up so blood can flow out, and then closes, keeping blood from flowing backwards.
Aortic stenosis is when a tube that does not open fully will restrict blood flow. Minimally invasive surgery is done through much smaller incisions than the large cut needed for open operation.
Before your surgery you will receive general anesthesia that will make you unconscious and unable feel pain. There are several different ways to do minimally invasive surgery.
Techniques include laparoscopy or endoscopy, and robot-assisted operation. Your surgeon may make a 2-inch to 3-inch-long incision in the right part of your chest near the sternum.
Muscles in the area will be divided to so your doctor can reach the pipe. This allows the surgeon to reach your aortic valve.
For the endoscopic approach, your doctor makes 1 to 4 small holes in your chest. Then your surgeon uses special instruments and a camera to do the surgery.
For robotically-assisted tube operation, the doctor makes 2 to 4 tiny cuts in your chest. The doctor uses a special computer to control robotic arms during the surgery.
The surgeon sees a 3-dimensional view of the aortic pipe on the computer. You will not need to be on a heart-lung machine for any of these surgeries, but your pulse will be slowed by medicine or a mechanical device.
Ring annuloplasty is when the surgeon repairs the ring-like part around the tube by sewing a ring of metal, cloth, or tissue around the tube. Valve repair is when the doctor trims, shapes, or rebuilds 1 or more of the 3 leaflets of the pipe.
The leaflets are flaps that open and close the valve. If your aortic valve is too damaged, you will need a new one.
This is called replacement operation, and your surgeon will remove your tube and sew a new one into place. There are two main types of new pipes, including mechanical and biological.
Mechanical is made of man-made materials, such as cloth, metal, or ceramic. These last the longest, but you will need to take blood-thinning medicine or aspirin for the rest of your life.
Biological is made of human or animal tissue. These last 12 to 15 years, but you may not need to take blood thinners for life.
Once the new or repaired one is working, your doctor will close the small cut to your heart or aorta, place catheters around your heart to drain fluids that build up, and close the surgical cut in your muscles and skin. The operation may take 1 to 3 hours.
Surgery is also now being done through a groin artery so no incisions are made on your chest. The doctor sends a catheter with a balloon attached on the end to the valve.
The balloon stretches the opening of the tube. This procedure is called percutaneous valvuloplasty.
The operation is done when the tube does not work properly. Surgery may be done because of changes in your aortic pipe are causing major heart symptoms, such as angina, shortness of breath, syncope, or heart failure.
Surgery may be necessary if tests show that changes in your aortic valve are beginning to seriously harm how well your heart works. Another cause for operation is your heart has been damaged by endocarditic.
A minimally invasive procedure has many benefits, including less pain, blood loss, and risk of infection. You will also recover faster than you would from open heart surgery.
Ask your doctor what drugs you should still take on the day of your operation. Always let your doctor know if you have a cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or any other illness in the time leading up to your surgery.
You may be asked to take an antibiotic, to prevent infection. You will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything after midnight the night before your operation.
This includes chewing gum and using breath mints. Rinse your mouth with water if it feels dry, but be careful not to swallow.
Author Resource:-
Ronald Pedactor is a health care physician. He has been developing professional health care equipment for more then 20 years. He recommends aborescope to improve health care treatment.
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