Mitral valve insufficiency is a heart disease in which there is a reverse movement of blood from the left ventricle to the left atrium during contraction of the ventricles of the heart due to incomplete closure of the valve leaflets. Nowadays mitral valve repair is no longer an invasive open surgery – the intervention may be endovascular or percutaneous.
Symptoms of mitral valve insufficiency
Symptoms of mitral valve insufficiency may include:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Cyanosis of the lips
- Rapid heartbeat, a feeling of irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations
- Pain in the heart area
- General weakness
- Dull, aching pain in the right hypochondrium
However, the diagnosis is based on the results of the examination by a doctor.
Treatment of mitral valve with mitral valve repair
The goal of drug treatment of mitral valve disease is alleviating the symptoms and preventing possible complications, but not restoring the mitral valve function. The only method that can restore the mitral valve function is surgical treatment. The surgical treatment involves mitral valve repair or replacement.
During the mitral valve replacement, the affected valve is substituted with an artificial prosthesis that mimics the function of a natural valve.
Mitral valve repair, on the other hand, is aimed at the restoration of the valve. The doctor decides on the possibility of performing valve-sparing surgery based on the data of the preoperative examination.
Mitral valve repair should be preferred over mitral valve replacement as it ensures better long-term survival.
After heart surgery, patients can return to their usual lifestyle. In most cases, they do not need to repeat the treatments due to the stable result of the intervention.
Percutaneous mitral valve repair
Percutaneous mitral valve repair is another option of repair. It is used when open surgical repair is not possible for different reasons. For a percutaneous mitral valve repair, the MitraClip system is used. The MitraClip is a coin-sized metal device that looks like a clothespin.
MitraClip fixes valve tissue and reduces leakage. After the procedure, the mitral valve looks like it was glued in the middle.
Depending on its complexity, the surgery lasts 1-3 hours. Since this is a minimally invasive procedure, the patient recovers faster than after conventional surgery. The patient usually feels an improvement immediately when he wakes up after the surgery. Most people are discharged from the hospital in 2-3 days.
MitraClip is generally designed for patients with contraindications to open-heart surgery but can also be used in patients without such contraindications who want to undergo less invasive treatment.
The doctor evaluates the patient’s age, a heart condition, and general health state, and decides whether this type of mitral valve repair will be beneficial in a particular case.
How can I undergo treatment during a lockdown?
Many countries have closed their borders following the lockdown regimen, due to the spread of the COVID-19. Thus, undergoing treatment abroad has become more complicated.
In case you need to undergo repair of mitral valve promptly, to continue your treatment abroad, or to make sure you get the best treatment possible, know that you can still undergo treatment abroad even if your country is in lockdown.
Booking Health can facilitate treatment of mitral valve insufficiency with the repair of the mitral valve by offering the following services:
- Communication with the chosen hospital
- Providing patients with up-to-date information about the cost of treatment
- Translation of medical reports
- Solving the issues with receiving a medical visa, even if the request for a visa has been declined
- If due to lockdown the embassy is closed completely, Booking Health resolves the issue through the federal police
- Medical visa extension when it is necessary to continue the treatment abroad
- Flight and accommodation booking
- Interpreting services
You can be free of unnecessary stress, while Booking Health takes care of all organizational issues. To specify any information, just leave a request on the Booking Health website, and a medical advisor will contact you shortly.
