U.S. House: Health Care DebateShould You Repair Or Replace Leaky Heart Valves?POSTED: 4:44 pm EST November 6,
2007 The following is a transcript of a report by medical editor Marilyn Brooks that first aired Nov. 6, 2007, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m. If you're among the thousands of Americans with a leaky heart valve, sooner or later you might need surgery.Should it be replaced or repaired? That is the single most critical question for anyone facing heart valve surgery.Every year, roughly 40,000 Americans, many of them under the age of 50, have operations for leaky mitral valves. The good news is the surgical technique, but the bad news is how a lot of surgeons answer that question to replace or repair it.At 57, Paula Pataki has a new spring in her step and newfound energy she didn't know she'd lost.She always took daily 20-minute naps but never considered them a symptom of heart trouble. A routine checkup gave her a shock."He said, 'Did anyone ever tell you you have a heart murmur?'" said Pataki.She had a leaky mitral valve.If you could open the left side of the heart, you would see the mitral valve. It's a very delicate, pearly white structure with two leaflets that extend down into left chamber of the heart, which is the main pumping chamber. Every year, thousands of people have this valve replaced with a mechanical valve, but there's a price."The heart muscle then changes its shape from being a spherical structure to a globular or rounder structure, so the efficiency of the heart contraction then falls off," said Dr. George Magovern.Patients then need blood-thinners. So, experts said, if possible, repair. Don't replace. And that can now be done with a 2-inch incision through the ribs just under the right breast."We come in through the back of the heart and that then takes you to the mitral valve," said Magovern.Doctors nip and tuck redundant stretched leaflets so blood can't back up into the left atrium.Repaired in July, Pataki is off medication and nap free.Not everyone with a leaky mitral valve needs surgery but of those who do, only 50 percent are being repaired, which means a lot of people are missing out on an optimal surgical treatment that could save them from blood-thinners and a second more dangerous surgery 10 to 12 years later.Failure to treat a severely leaking valve can lead to atrial fibrillation in which the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of contract. Clots form, break lose and could cause a stroke. Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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