How is heart valve replacement surgery performed at Vinmec?

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Heart valve replacement surgery is a necessary treatment when patients have heart valve damage that cannot be repaired or does not respond to medical treatments. This treatment has saved countless lives.

1. Types of artificial heart valves

There are two types of artificial heart valves used for replacement: mechanical heart valves and biological heart valves.

1.1. Replace mechanical heart valve

Mechanical heart valves are made from materials such as silicon, titanium,... This type of valve has the following characteristics:
Durability of mechanical heart valves is 20-30 years, maybe even longer . Mechanical heart valves have strong thrombogenic (formation of blood clots) properties, so after valve replacement, patients are required to take vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants for life. There are 3 types of mechanical heart valves:
Ball valve. Valve 1 wing. Two-way valve.

1.2. Biological heart valve replacement

Biological heart valves are valves made from animal tissue or from the heart valves of organ donors. This type of valve has the following characteristics:
The service life of this valve is short, at most 10-15 years. This type of valve also has a lower risk of thrombosis than a mechanical heart valve. Therefore, patients usually only need to use vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants for 3 months.

There are 3 types of biological heart valves:
Biological valves with brackets. The biovalve has no holder. The biovalve type is placed through the skin. Each type of artificial heart valve has its own advantages and disadvantages, no type can fully meet the following requirements: close to normal heart valves, durable, have good hemodynamics, avoid the risk of creating thrombosis and favorable for cardiac placement. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right valve type for each specific patient case.
The basis for the doctor to choose a replacement artificial heart valve for a patient is:
Age of the patient. Valve size. Patient adherence to treatment. Patient economic status. For female patients, it is necessary to consider whether she is pregnant or wants to have a baby?

2. Features of heart valve replacement surgery at Vinmec Times City

2.1. Doctor performing Master - Doctor Nguyen Xuan Thanh: is a member of Hanoi Heart Association and Vietnam Heart Association. Currently, the doctor is working at the Department of Cardiology - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. 2.2. Strengths of equipment at Vinmec At Vinmec, the Hybrid operating room is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment such as DSA angiography machine, anesthesia machine that integrates patient hemodynamic monitoring software most closely ( PiCCO system, entropy,...).
Therefore, the Hybrid operating room can meet the requirements of surgery and angioplasty, coronary stenting, aortic stent graft, open heart surgery, congenital heart diseases and heart valve replacement surgery with advanced technology. Modern, least invasive, safest technique, helping patients recover soon.
2.3. Value of technique Heart valve replacement surgery is necessary when the heart valve is severely damaged, cannot be repaired or the patient does not respond to drug therapy. New heart valve replacement is intended to help relieve symptoms and prevent future heart failure, arrhythmias, and other complications.

3. How is heart valve replacement surgery performed at Vinmec Times City?

3.1. Before surgery Patients need to be hospitalized before surgery to prepare necessary procedures for surgery:
Do necessary tests such as: chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram , check liver function, kidney function, blood type, blood coagulation status,... Conduct specialist examinations such as otolaryngology, otolaryngology, maxillofacial and maxillofacial to ensure that there are no chronic or potential foci of infection. affect the outcome after surgery. Meet with the treating doctor to discuss the surgery, at which time the patient can bring up his questions and concerns for the doctor to answer. 3.2. Surgery The patient will be under general anesthesia. This helps the patient stay in a deep sleep and feel no pain during the surgery. The surgeon makes an incision in the chest that is 8-10 inches long. Next, the doctor will cut through part or all of the patient's breastbone to expose the heart. Once the heart is visible, the patient can be connected to a cardiopulmonary bypass or circulation pump during surgery. At this time, the heart will stop beating, the machine will do the work of the heart and lungs. The doctor will then remove the damaged heart valve, replace it with a selected artificial heart valve, and then sew it firmly into the tissue of the old valve. After completing the valve replacement, the doctor closes the sternum with a wire, which is left inside the body. Finally, the doctor will stitch up the original cuts with surgical sutures. At the end of surgery, the patient was taken to the recovery room for further monitoring. 3.3. After surgery After surgery, the patient is transferred to the recovery room for monitoring until his health condition is stable.
The hospital stay after heart valve replacement surgery is usually about 7-10 days. After being discharged from the hospital, patients need to follow the instructions and instructions of the doctor, need to be re-examined according to the appointment schedule or when there are unusual symptoms.
Vinmec Times City International Hospital uses the Hybird operating room with many modern equipment, along with a team of cardiologists who have been trained and certified to perform heart valve replacement surgery.

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