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Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center

(801) 507-4701Map5121 S. Cottonwood StreetMurray, UT 84107

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Overview of Heart Valve Repair/Replacement

Heart valve repair/replacement is a treatment for a diseased or damaged heart valve. In a healthy heart, valves open and close to ensure the proper one-way flow of blood through the heart. But if your heart valves have been damaged or diseased, they may fail to work correctly. This places extra strain on your heart muscle. Depending on your valve problem, your doctor will recommend one of these solutions:

Repair: In a repair, your surgeon will reshape the faulty valve to make it function better.

Replacement: If repairing your valve isn't possible, your surgeon may choose to replace it with a mechanical valve (a valve made of mechanical parts) or with a tissue valve (a valve from a human donor or an animal).

 
Illustration of heart valvesThe hearts valves are shown here with arrows indicating the direction of blood flow.
 

Types of Valve Repair/Replacement

  • Aortic Valve Repair/Replacement – Surgical

    Many patients require open heart surgery to treat aortic stenosis. A cardiovascular surgeon removes the diseased valve and replaces it with either a mechanical or tissue valve.

  • Aortic Valve Repair/Replacement – Transcatheter

    Patients who are considered “inoperable” or very high risk for surgery may be eligible for a less invasive method of replacing the aortic valve called Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).

  • Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement

    Mitral valve repair or replacement involves heart surgery to repair the mitral valve for many patients, though less invasive options may also be considered.

  • Valvuloplasty

    Valvuloplasty is a catheterization procedure used to treat heart valve stenosis. It involves inflating a balloon-tipped catheter inside a narrowed valve to increases the valve's mobility. This can increase the blood volume pumped out with each heartbeat.

Patient Instructions

Learn what happens (and what you need to do) before, during, and after this procedure:

Where is this procedure performed?

Depending on the type of valve repair or replacement, your procedure may be performed in the CV operating room (CV OR) or the Cardiovascular Cath Lab. You will receive specific directions from your healthcare provider.

If you have questions please call us: 801-507-4701.

Learn More About Our Heart Valve Programs

  • Cardiothoracic Surgery

    Our Cardiothoracic Surgery program provides all surgeries that are clinically available in the United States – along with high volumes and excellent outcomes.

  • Heart Valve and Structural Heart Disease Program

    Our Heart Valve and Structural Heart Disease (SHD) Program focuses on treating heart defects with catheter-based techniques that are less invasive than open heart surgery.

Research in Heart Valve Repair/Replacement

Intermountain Heart Institute is actively researching less invasive ways to repair and replace heart valves. Learn more about the Heart Institute’s clinical trials.

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