Aortic valve surgery

Need to know

• What happens during aortic valve surgery? icon plus

  Your consultant will let you know whether you need valve replacement or repair surgery.

  • Valve repair. The valve can be repaired in several ways. This includes patching holes with tissue, separating fused valve cups or reshaping tissue so the valve closes properly. This is rarely performed.
  • Valve replacement. The entire valve can be replaced through open surgery or through transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This minimally invasive (keyhole) procedure is where cardiologists surgeons access your heart usually through an artery in your groin. The new valve is inserted through a catheter and guided into place. It is expanded inside the patient's existing diseased valve.

• How to prepare for surgery icon plus

  Your consultant will explain what happens during aortic valve surgery and answer any questions you might have. Like all procedures, there may be some risks and side effects involved.
  
  Your consultant will explain these to you. If you're having general anaesthetic, your consultant will advise when you need to stop eating and drinking the night before.

• After surgery icon plus

  After your aortic valve surgery, you'll need to stay in hospital for around a week. During this time, you'll be carefully monitored by our multi-disciplinary team of cardiac specialists.
  
  You should be fully recovered after three months, and your consultant will let you know when you can get back to your usual routine, including work or exercise. The hospital stay after TAVI is much shorter, typically no more than a few days.