Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
After balloon valvuloplasty, the patient will spend several hours in the recovery room to be monitored for vital signs (such as heart rate and breathing) and heart sounds. During this time, electrical leads attached to an EKG machine...
will be placed on the patient's chest and limbs, and a monitor will display the electrical impulses of the heart continuously, alerting nurses quickly if any abnormality occurs. For at least 30 minutes after removal of the catheter, direct pressure is applied to the site of insertion; after this a pressure dressing will be applied. The skin condition is monitored. The insertion site will be observed for bleeding until the catheter is removed. The leg in which the catheter was inserted is temporarily prevented from moving. Intravenous fluids will be given to help eliminate the x-ray dye; intravenous anticoagulants or other medications may be administered to improve blood flow and to keep coronary arteries open. Pain medication is administered as-needed. Some patients will continue to take anticoagulant medications for months or years after the surgery and will have regular blood tests to monitor the effectiveness of the medication.
Following discharge from the hospital, the patient can usually resume normal activities. After balloon valvuloplasty, lifelong follow-up is necessary because valves sometimes degenerate or narrowing recurs, a condition called restenosis, which will likely require repeat valvulplasty, valvotomy, or valve replacement.
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Other Information
Balloon valvuloplasty is a procedure in which a thin tube (catheter) that has a small deflated balloon at the tip is inserted through the skin in the groin area into a blood vessel, and then is threaded up to the opening of the narrowed heart valve. The balloon is inflated, which stretches the valve open. This procedure cures many valve obstructions. It is also called balloon enlargement of a narrowed heart valve.
The procedure is performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory and takes up to four hours. The patient is usually awake, but is given local anesthesia to make the area where the catheter is inserted numb. After the site where the catheter will be inserted is prepared and anesthetized, the cardiologist inserts a catheter into the appropriate blood vessel, then passes a balloon-tipped catheter through the first catheter. Guided by a video monitor and an x ray, the physician slowly threads the catheter into the heart. The deflated balloon is positioned in the valve opening, then is inflated repeatedly. The inflated balloon widens the valve's opening by splitting the valve leaflets apart. Once the valve is widened, the balloon-tipped catheter is removed. The other catheter remains in place for 6 to 12 hours because in some cases the procedure must be repeated.
From https://www.lifesteps.com/gm/Atoz/ency/balloon_valvuloplasty.jsp
Other Information
In 2006, 2,192 heart transplantations were performed in the United States. There are 257 transplant hospitals in the United States, 135 of which perform heart transplantations. (http://www.unos.org/)
From: Unos.org
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