Heart valve operations are also performed via an incision done in the midline of the sternum (breastbone). Heart valve operations are performed to repair or replace the diseased valve(s) of the heart. The surgery is performed with general anesthesia. The operation generally lasts three to five hours depending on the extent of valvular damage and the number of valves to be operated. As the heart is stopped, the blood circulation is provided by the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machine which also helps to oxygenate the blood.
The heart valve disease can be managed by mainly two ways: Reconstruction of a diseased valve or the replacement of the diseased valve by either a mechanical or biological prosthesis. Reconstructive surgery is advantageous because of 

Various Reasons:

• Lower risk of infection
• Decreased or no need of life-long blood thinners
• Preserved heart muscle strength
• On the other hand prosthetic replacement of the diseased valves has various advantages and disadvantages:
• Life-long durability is the main advantage
• The main disadvantage is the necessity of life-long treatment of blood thinners
• The patients to get a prosthetic valve and wishing to avoid blood thinners may prefer bioprosthetic valves. These valves provide excellent results in the early and mid term (about 10 years) but the decreased durability of these valves (especially in younger patients) is a major concern.

      Mecanic Prosthesis               Biologic Prosthesis

At the completion of the operation, the CPB machine is turned off; the heart starts beating on its own. As a precaution, chest tubes for drainage and pacing wires for any probable rhythm disturbances are placed before the sternum is closed. We use special steel sternal wires to close the chest. The patient is transferred to the special intensive care unit (ICU) for close monitoring for two or three days. After the ICU stay, the patient is admitted to the surgical ward where he or she will be staying for five to six days. The first control examination will be one week after the discharge from the hospital. Our patients will have a safe journey to their home countries when our stuff is sure of their health status after this control examination. The full recovery after a complication-free heart valve operation lasts about two months.