Heart Valve Surgery

As you are aware, your heart has the important job of pumping blood to the rest of your body. In order for the blood to flow out of your heart, it goes through valves. If those valves are not working properly then the blood may have difficulty flowing. As this continues, it can weaken your heart, and it causes some symptoms:

~ Dizziness

~ Chest pain

~ Breathing difficulties

~ Palpitations – irregular heartbeat or fluttering feeling in your chest

~ Edema (swelling) of the feet, ankles, or abdomen (belly)

~ Rapid weight gain due to fluid retention

Heart valve repair or replacement surgery can restore your blood flow to where it should be, which will also address the symptoms you may have been feeling. Following valve repair or replacement surgery, you should feel better and more energetic, because your heart will be better able to keep oxygen-rich blood flowing throughout your body.

The two main areas of heart valve surgery performed by the UF Health surgeons at Halifax Health include:

Aortic Valve

With aortic valve surgery, the surgeon will replace the main pumping chamber in the heart that is not working as it should. The valve may not be opening properly, which is keeping blood from flowing properly. This can be caused by a condition someone has a birth, congenital heart disease, or caused by other conditions. The aortic valve cannot be repaired, so it must be replaced.

Mitral Valve

With mitral valve surgery, the surgeon will replace or repair the valve that is not closing tightly as it should, or has become stiff and narrowed. As a result of not closing properly, it allows blood to leak into the heart and can cause damage. The mitral valve is the most common type of valve that surgeons repair.

In order for blood to flow through the different chambers of your heart, it has to pass through valves. Those valves have an important job of opening and closing in order to keep enough blood flowing out, and keep it from flowing back into the heart. Heart valve surgery has a high success rate. The average hospital stay for valve surgery is 5-7 days.

We can’t live without a healthy heart, so if yours it not where it should be, we can help. With our relationship with UF Health, we have brought a world-class team to the Volusia County area, who are experts in heart valve replacement. The UF Health board certified surgeons will provide you with the best possible surgical options in the area. They are experts in the field and have the skills necessary to give your heart exactly what it needs to feel better and live a better quality of life.

About UF Health Heart and Vascular Surgery at Halifax Health

Halifax Health has collaborated with University of Florida Health (UF Health) to bring advanced thoracic, cardiovascular and vascular surgical care to Volusia, Flagler and Brevard Counties. Board-certified and fellowship-trained cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons from UF Health lead the program and are located at the main campus of Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Halifax Health serves as the areas only Level II Trauma Center and through this partnership with UF Health we can now expand on the services available to our community.

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Heart Valve Surgery