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Outpatient Registration Hours

Mon-Thu: 8am-4:30pm
Fri & Sun: 8am-12:30pm

Pediatric Night Clinic Registration Hours

Mon-Thu: 7pm-8:30pm
Sun: 7pm-8:30pm

Visiting Hours

12pm-2pm
5pm-8:30pm

Address

465, Burma Road,
10350 Pulau Pinang,
Malaysia

Contact

Tel: (604) 222-7200
Fax: (604) 226-3366

Heart Valve Surgery

What Are Heart Valbes?

The heart is a pumping muscle that is divided into four chambers. There are four heart valves that act like one-way doors to keep blood moving in one direction through the heart and out to the body.

The four different valves are namely: Aortic valve, Mitral valve, Pulmonic valve, and Tricuspid valve.

Heart Valve Problems

When valves do not open and close as they should, less blood gets through. This cases the heart to work harder to pump blood to the body. If the heart is not able to do this, heart failure occurs. Abnormal valves can also cause an irregular heart beat or blood clots to form in the heart.

Two common heart problems:

  • Problem Opening - stenosis occurs when a valve doesn't open completely. The valve may have been hardened or stiff with calcium deposits or scaring, so it is hard to push open. Blood has to flow through a small opening, and less blood gets through the valve into the next chamber.
  • Problem Closing - regurgitaiton (insufficiency) results when the valve doesn't close tightly. The valve's supportive structures may be loose or torn, or the valve itself may have stretched or thinned. Blood then may leak back in the wrong direction through the valve.

If you have heart valve problem, you may experience one or more of the following:

  • Problems breathing when you are lying down
  • Wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath when you exert yourself
  • Waking up at night coughing or short of breath
  • Weakness or tiredness
  • Dizzy spells, fainting spells
  • Swollen ankles or feet
  • A fast, pounding heartbeat or fluttering feeling in your chest
  • Chest pain or pressure

Your doctor may probably hear a murmur when he listens to your heart. A murmur is usually present when you have a heart valve problem. Various tests i.e. echocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG), chest x-ray, or cardiac catheterization may be ordered to find out what kind of valve problem you have.

Treatment

At times, medications may help treat your valve problem by improving the hearts pumping and relieve the heart failure. But surgery is often needed to improve the hearts function. During heart valve surgery, one or more heart valves can be repaired or replaced.The decision to repair or replace, however usually cannot be made until after surgery has begun.

  • Repairing a valve - means that the valve is tailored to help work better. Parts of a stenotic valve that are stiff or hardened may be cut and separated to help them open wider.
  • Replacing the valve - is done when the valve cannot be repaired. It will be replaced with a prosthetic valve. Two kinds of prosthetic heart valve are available:
  1. Mechanical valves are created from manmade materials. Lifetime therapy with anticoagulant medication (blood thinners) to prevent blood clots on or around the valve will be needed.

    2. Mechanical and biological valves
  2. Mechanical and biological valves Biological (tissue) valve are taken from pigs, cows, or human donors. Biological valves do not last as long as mechanical valves. However, it is usually not necessary for long-term anticoagulant medication with these valves.

Taking Your Medication

Anticoagulations - depending on the type of surgery or your heart condition, your doctor may prescribe anticoagulants (blood thinners) to lower the chance of blood clots forming. Anticoagulants lengthen the time it normally takes for blood to clot. If you are taking a blood thinner, keep to the appointments given to you for regular blood tests (prothrombin time / INR). The blood tests tell your doctor how long it takes your blood to clot. This time is used to decide the right dose of medication for you.

Caution: things to keep in mind when using anticoagulatants:

  1. Take exact amount of medication same time each day.
  2. Do not take extra tablet to catch up if you forgot to take a tablet.
  3. Inform the doctor or dentist if undergoing any treatment, surgery, or dental work.
  4. Inform your physician if you plan on getting pregnant.
  5. Keep follow-up blood coagulation test appointments as scheduled.
  6. Avoid drinking alcohol.
  7. Avoid drastic changes in your dietary habits.
  8. Observe for signs of too much anticoagulant and report to your physician promptly.
  9. Do not take any other medicines before asking your doctor, or unless your doctor prescribes it to you.
  10. Carry an identification card that lists your name and your doctors name and phone number and the name of the dosage of drugs.

Antibiotics - antibiotics helps prevent bacteria from getting into your bloodstream and causing an infection on or around your heart valve. Bacterial endocarditis is very serious. It is an infection of the valves and / or inner heart lining. It can damage or destroy heart valves. Bacterial endocarditis can occur during infections, dental work, surgery, procedure that cause trauma to body tissues or IV injections with dirty needles. Tell your doctor or dentist that you have had valve surgery if you are going to have any of the above procedures done.