What is AVR and why is it performed?

Aortic Valve Replacement or AVR is a surgical procedure that is performed to correct problems associated with the aortic valve in your heart. The aortic valve helps regulate blood flow through the heart.

AVR is performed to replace diseased or damaged aortic valve. Your doctor will recommend you undergo AVR if you show symptoms of the following:

Aortic valve regurgitation where some amount of blood flows back through the aortic valve. The main reason for the regurgitation is a leaky or dysfunctional valve. This is often caused due to a bacterial infection or congenital condition.
Aortic valve stenosis which is caused by the obstruction or hardening of the aortic valve. This constriction makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. This condition is often brought on by rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart conditions or age related degeneration.
Congenital heart diseases which are responsible for the above mentioned conditions as well as other issues such as irregularly shaped cardiac valves.

What does AVR surgery involve?

There are two approaches to aortic valve replacement – traditional surgery and minimally invasive surgery. During the traditional aortic valve surgery, an incision is made along your chest and the ribcage is opened. A heart-lung machine is used to keep blood and oxygen flowing. The surgeon makes a small incision on the heart and the defective aortic valve is removed. It is replaced with an artificial valve and the incisions are closed.

The minimally invasive surgery involves smaller incisions through which specialized surgical tools are inserted. The malfunctioning or diseased aortic valve is removed and replaced and the incisions are closed. This procedure is shorter than the traditional kind and requires lesser recovery time as well.