Overview

Heart valve surgery is a procedure to treat heart valve disease. Heart valve disease happens when at least one of the four heart valves is not working properly. Heart valves keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart.

The four heart valves are the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve, the pulmonary valve and the aortic valve. Each valve has flaps — called leaflets for the mitral and tricuspid valves and cusps for the aortic and pulmonary valves. These flaps should open and close once during each heartbeat. Valves that don’t open and close properly change blood flow through the heart to the body.

In heart valve surgery, a surgeon repairs or replaces the damaged or diseased heart valve or valves. Methods to do this may include open-heart surgery or minimally invasive heart surgery.

The type of heart valve surgery needed depends on age, overall health, and the type and severity of heart valve disease.