Mitral Valve
For mitral valve disorders: should we repair or replace?
November 2007
By Divyakant B. Gandhi, MD FACS FRCS
The heart is a biological pump that performs a mechanical function in the body; and like any other pump, the heart needs valves to direct
the flow of fluid—in this case blood—in order for it to function effectively and efficiently. Anatomically, the heart has four chambers.
Two atria at the top collect the blood, and the two ventricles at the bottom of the heart pump the blood...
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September 28, 2007
Published in U.S. News & World Report
By Bernadine Healy, M.D.
Replace or repair, that's the question. And it is the single most critical one for patients facing cardiac valve surgery.
The 2007 Lasker Award for medical research highlighted the distinction, perhaps inadvertently, when it honored two heart surgeons
last month for developing artificial heart valves. Albert Starr of Portland, Ore., devised mechanical replacements using metal cages
and silicone balls, and Alain Carpentier of Paris fashioned bioprostheses from tanned pig valves sewn onto metal rings.
The irony is that Carpentier went on to find a way not to replace the leaky mitral valve. Surgical reconstruction spares the natural valve,
and the outcome is vastly better. Unfortunately, thousands of patients suitable for repair are still having their valves removed, missing
out on what might be Carpentier's greater contribution—particularly if you have a mitral problem...
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