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Less-Invasive heart surgery holds promise for quick healing
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LESS-INVASIVE HEART SURGERY HOLDS PROMISE FOR QUICK HEALING DEAR DOCTOR K: I have aortic valve regurgitation and need to have my aortic valve replaced. What will happen during this procedure? DEAR READER: When it's properly working, your aortic valve opens to allow oxygen-rich blood to flow from your heart into your aorta and out to the rest of your body. The aorta is the body's largest blood vessel. (I've put an illustration of how healthy heart valves work on my website, AskDoctorK.com.) Heart valves keep blood flowing in just one direction -- the direction the heart wants to pump blood. Particularly when you're sitting or standing up, gravity wants to pull blood back down into the heart from the aorta. If that happened, the heart would have to work much harder: It would keep having to pump the same blood out into the circulation. A healthy aortic valve prevents gravity from pulling blood back down into the heart. Aging and disease can damage the aortic valve. If it doesn't close tightly, blood can re-enter the heart, causing aortic regurgitation. It can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, fainting and other symptoms. If your symptoms are severe, or if the condition is weakening your heart, you may need to have your aortic valve replaced with a prosthetic valve. Prosthetic valves are either synthetic mechanical valves or biological valves made of human or animal tissue. The traditional surgery involves splitting the breast bone, exposing the heart and then replacing the valve. An intravenous (IV) line is inserted into your arm to deliver fluids and medications. You will be given a general anesthetic. After your heart is exposed, your heart will be cooled and stopped while the surgery is being performed. That's because it's hard to perform surgery on a beating heart. Since your heart has stopped, you need a machine -- a heart-lung machine -- to get oxygen in your blood and pump it around the body. Once your heart is motionless, the surgeon will cut through its muscular wall. He or she will remove the malfunctioning heart valve, insert the prosthetic valve and stitch it into place. After closing the incision in your heart wall, the surgeon will warm your heart. Once your heart is steadily pumping without leaking blood, you will be disconnected from the heart-lung machine. The surgeon will reattach the halves of your breastbone and your chest incision will be closed. For some patients, the heart surgeon can replace a heart valve through a smaller incision. New technologies allow artificial valves to be inserted into the heart without making even a small opening in the patient's chest. Heart specialists still are gaining experience with these less-invasive approaches. There is little doubt that, because they involve cutting into fewer tissues, patients heal more quickly. However, it's not yet clear if the long-term results of less-invasive types of surgery are as good as with traditional surgery. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. 
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Today is Saturday, May 25, the 145th day of 2013. There are 220 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: The annual review of the fire department of this city took placeyesterday and made a fine showing with machines and hose carts in tip-top order.
1888 -- 125 years ago: Last night's prayer meeting at Central Presbyterian Church wascalled off due to water in the basement, residue of last week's flood.
1913 -- 100 years ago: The junior class of Rock Island High School will hold a riverexcursion on the steamer St. Paul next Tuesday.
1938 -- 75 years ago: The 75th Anniversary of the Rock Island Arsenal today finds thenation's largest ordinance manufacturing plant filling many important orders for the army.
1963 -- 50 years ago: Miss Patrice Daly, Rock Island, a senior at Rock Island HighSchool, won second place in the recent state public speaking contest held in Peoria underthe auspices of the Knights of Pythias.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Hampton's sesquicentennial committee and the Hampton HistoricalSociety have scheduled a full slate of activities, which will be held throughout the year, to celebrate the village's 150th birthday. The first celebration will be the Memorial Dayprogram at 10 a.m. May 30, at the Brettun and Black Store Museum on River Road. Therewill be a sesquicentennial display.
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