Q:
I’m thinking of having a heart surgery to treat RHD. What kind of heart surgery should I choose?
A:
The heart valves are damaged in patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Some of them need to have heart surgeries to treat RHD. The types of heart surgery for RHD include:
- Balloon valvotomy / commissurotomy, used to treat mitral stenosis. By gently inflating the balloon that is threaded on the wires in the groin, the narrowed mitral valve can gradually become wider. The surgery only makes a small cut but the facilities are inadequate in the areas most in need.
- Valve repair, used to restore normal blood flow. It is an open heart surgery. It offers greatest outcomes but requires surgeons with professional technique.
- Valve replacement, used to replace the damaged heart valve with a mechanical prosthetic (metallic valve) or bioprosthetic valve (tissue valve). It is also an open heart surgery. Although it may cause higher risk of embolism and haemorrhagic complications, it is technically easier and the outcome can last for life.
Keywords: rheumatic heart disease surgery
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