Live Webcast: Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

On December 5, 2006, cardiac surgeon, Jamie Brown, M.D., an associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will present a webcast of a minimally-invasive aortic valve replacement from the University of Maryland Heart Center in Baltimore.

The aortic valve separates the heart's left ventricle from the rest of the body. Because it functions in the high pressure system it needs to function well, allowing blood out of the heart but at the same time preventing blood from traveling backwards. When the aortic valve is blocked, a patient is diagnosed with aortic stenosis. In severe cases of this condition, the aortic valve needs to be replaced or the heart will fail.

When a patient needs an aortic valve replacement, there are several options to accomplish this. A biologic (tissue) valve made of tissue from human cadaver donor, pig (porcine) valve tissue, or cow (bovine) tissue may be used. A mechanical valve may also be an option.

During this webcast, you will be able to watch as Dr. Brown uses a tissue valve to replace the valve in an older patient with a severely blocked valve. Dr. Brown uses a minimally-invasive technique to access the heart's valve. This translates into less pain and a faster recovery for the patient.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• aortic
• heart
• valve
• surgery
• stenosis
• minimally-invasive
• or-live
• webcast
• health
• tissue

[ORLivedotcom]

You can visit our main portal OR-Live dot com it to see the full length webcast.