A Leaky Heart Valve

Though it’s hardly a household word, mitral regurgitation affects millions of Americans. Also called a leaky heart, it is one of the most common valve problems.

“The mitral valve regulates the blood between the left atrium and the left ventricle and that becomes a problem because as that valve starts to leak more and more it can lead to conditions like atrial fibrillation,” explains Lee Memorial Health System cardiologist Dr. Bhavin Patel.

It can also lead to worsening of heart failure and raises stroke risk. Mild to moderate cases may be treated with medication and supervision. But severe mitral regurgitation typically requires surgery.

“We used to replace the mitral valve but a lot more techniques are utilized now where we can repair and keep the patient’s own valve in the body without having them to go through an open heart surgery,” Dr. Patel says.

Nearly all mitral valve repairs can be performed using a minimally invasive approach through a 2-3-inch incision on the right side of the chest. Recovery from a typical open heart surgery is a month, compared to a less invasive technique which has an average downtime of 2-3 days.

As with many heart ailments, symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations and sometimes swelling of the feet and ankles.

“As we all get older one of the things that unfortunately happens is the structural valves fail us,” says Dr. Patel. “It’s important that you diagnose the fact that the valve is leaking and also determine what to do about it.”

If caught early there are several fixes, when leaky valves are at the heart of the problem.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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