Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
Initial diagnosis by auscultation (listening) is done with a stethoscope. Additional procedures associated with diagnosis to judge severity of the lesion include chest x ray, echocardiography, and angiography with cardiac...
catheterization. In the absence of angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomographic (CT) imaging may be used.
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Tiny electric currents flow through the heart muscle and cause them to contract, squeezing blood throughout the body. This animation shows the electrical system of the heart and how it is driven by a small patch of tissue called the cardiac pacemaker or sinoatrial node.
The heart is accessed through a chest incision (A). The patient's heart function is replaced by the heart-lung machine. The aorta is cut open to reveal a diseased aortic valve (B), which is then removed. A valve sizer is placed in the opening to determine the size of prosthesis needed (C). A prosthetic valve is sutured in place (D and E). (Illustration by Argosy.)
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Other Information
Aortic valve replacement is a cardiac surgery procedure in which a patient's aortic valve is replaced by a different valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency / regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Aortic valve replacement currently requires open heart surgery.
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Heart surgery is quite a big event and people are keen to know about their particular surgeon.
-Andy Owens
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