Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement

Coughs, fatigue, inability to lie down horizontally, lack of energy, and experience abnormal fatigue after walking two steps up the stairs… all of these symptoms are warning signs of heart abnormalities or pulmonary edema. If there is a heart valve problem, it is usually found in the heart valve separating the left atrium and the left ventricle or what is medically known as the “mitral valve”. If the mitral valve regurgitates, blood in the left ventricle will flow back into the left atrium, causing the left atrium to receive more blood than normal, thus leading to hyperemia in the cardiac system. Because oxygenated blood cannot fully return to the heart, the lungs can also develop hyperemia.

 

Medical technology was underdeveloped in the past. As a result, open surgery was used to treat patients with heart valve conditions. This caused patients to have had to remain hospitalized for long periods with immense pain after surgery and high risk of developing complications, especially in patients older than 75 years.

 

However, doctors today can treat this condition without having to perform open thoracic surgery, without having to use an ECMO. Today’s technique involves inserting a small artificial heart valve via femoral vein catheter, which produces very small wounds, so the patient does not have to spend longer time in recovery. There is also less blood loss during treatment and fewer complications than the open surgical approach. After treatment, symptoms caused by the mitral heart valve abnormality will improve, so the patient can return to daily living with a good quality of life.

 

Suitable candidates include elderly people, people with comorbidities and people who have undergone heart valve replacement surgery for more than 7 years whose existing valve has degenerated or become damaged, and people who have mitral valve stenosis or regurgitation with sufficient plaque accumulation to allow the artificial valve to attach to the existing valve.

 

Regular exercise such as brisk walking (Always consult your treating physician beforehand.) and other forms of regular exercise can help reduce your “bad” cholesterol levels (LDL) and improve your “good” cholesterol (HDL) levels.

Control your blood pressure and blood glucose levels, breathing problems and other conditions that are risk factors for heart disease by doing health check-ups and following your doctor’s recommendations.

 

Maintain your body weight from being too heavy or too light for good health. People who are overweight or obese are at greater risk of developing heart disease than ordinary people.

 

Quit smoking and try to avoid second-hand smoking, because the toxins in cigarettes increase risk of heart disease and can lead to heart failure, and also increasing other risk factors for worsening symptoms in heart disease patients.

 

Eat healthy foods by limiting your intake of sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, sugars and alcohol. Instead, turn your attention to eating unsweet fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, lean meats, fish and legumes in order to build the foundation for good health from eating “heart-healthy foods”.