How is Aortic valve surgery (open) done?
Before your surgery you will receive general anesthesia. This will make you unconscious and unable to feel pain.
Your surgeon will make a 10-inch-long cut in the middle of your chest. Next, your surgeon will separate your breastbone to be able to see your heart and aorta (the main blood vessel leading from your heart to the rest of your body). Most people are connected to a heart-lung bypass machine or bypass pump. Your heart is stopped while you are connected to this machine. This machine does the work of your heart while your heart is stopped.
If your aortic valve is too damaged, you will need a new valve. This is called replacement surgery. Your surgeon will remove your aortic valve and sew a new one into place. There are two main types of new valves:
Mechanical: Made of man-made materials, such as titanium or ceramic. These valves last the longest, but you will need to take blood-thinning medicine, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or aspirin, for the rest of your life. Biological: Made of human or animal tissue. These valves last 10 to 12 years, but you may not need to take blood thinners for life.
Once the new valve is working, your surgeon will:
Close your heart and take you off the heart-lung machine. Place catheters (tubes) around your heart to drain fluids that build up. Close your breastbone with stainless steel wires. It will take about 6 weeks for the bone to heal. The wires will stay inside your body.
This surgery may take 2 to 5 hours.
Sometimes other procedures are done during open aortic surgery. These include:
Coronary bypass surgery Graft of the first part of the aorta (large blood vessel leaving the heart) Ross (or switch) procedure </s>