Mitral valve repair surgery?

Question

how long do people usually live after mitral valve repair?

Answer 1

Very basically:

The procedure is open heart and entails a complex system of sustaining life outside your body. The complications can vary. If you get a mechanical valve placed, your risk of embolus increases. Emboli can cause strokes and/or a fatal episode. However, once one recovers from either surgery (typically a short stint in the ICU but varying by the individual) the quality of life improves to better than pre-op. The need for a replacement may arise down the line. Barring any blood clots or infections, a MVP repair/replacement surgery does not by itself indicate anything about how long a patient survives post-op. A repair surgery tends to yield fewer long-term complications simply because no foreign tissue or synthetic material was introduced into one's system and the whole procedure is significantly lower risk in terms of infection. The risk of failure of a repaired valve is significantly lower than that of a replaced valve. Lots of variables influence the outcome though, and if this is a personal matter, I strongly suggest you speak candidly with your cardiologist.

Bottom line:

Repair surgery is generally safer and can allow the patient to live life fully.