February 25, 2022

Mitral Valve Repair in Paducah, KY

Baptist Health Paducah: Mitral Valve Repair

Mitral valve repair surgery uses a patient’s own tissue to fix the mitral valve. Learn about the treatment options close to home at Baptist Health.


Mitral Valve Repair in Paducah, KY HealthTalks Transcript

Austin Ward, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery:
The mitral valve is a one-way valve. Its purpose is to keep oxygenated blood that flows from the lungs and fills up the main pumping chamber of the heart. There are two things that can happen to the mitral valve. It can be too tight, called mitral stenosis. Or, it can be leaky — that’s called mitral regurgitation or mitral prolapse. In that case, the blood, instead of going forward to the rest of the body, leaks back through the mitral valve. It can make the fluid build up on the lungs.

Garett Travis, patient:
I had gradually started getting less energy and out of breath quicker. It was getting worse and worse. I told my wife there had to be something wrong. I went to my local doctor’s office, and she referred me to see Dr. Ward. Dr. Ward explained to me exactly what was happening with my mitral valve.

Dr. Ward:
There are many treatment options for mitral regurgitation or mitral valve prolapse. More recently, we’ve advanced techniques to be able to fix the valve and let a patient keep their native valvular tissue without the leak. We’ve found this has better long-term outcomes — with the mitral valve fixed with their own tissue — than replacing it. 

Travis:
He explained to me what was going to happen during the surgery. He said he would do everything he could just to fix the valve, and that’s what he did. He fixed the valve. It’s very important to me that I started three miles down the road from my house, with a Baptist Health facility, and then ended with a Baptist Health surgeon fixing it. If I had traveled to another hospital, I don’t believe I would have gotten near the service that I’ve gotten here.


Next Steps and Useful Resources

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