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Mitral valve disease can make it hard to breathe and eventually threaten your health. At Henry Ford Health, our innovative treatments can help you feel better and breathe easier. We keep you and your heart safe.
While doctors have traditionally treated mitral valve disease with surgery, a newer approach can help people who can’t have an operation. Doctors use a vein to reach the heart with a thin tube (catheter), as well as a repair device or replacement valve.
We began using the transcatheter approach several years before other programs. We have completed more than 300 mitral valve repairs or replacements since that time, typically performing the most in Michigan.
This minimally invasive method avoids cutting open your chest and putting you on a lung-heart bypass machine. Recovery time is also substantially shorter. These minimally invasive therapies are not for everyone, or for every mitral valve disease. At the Center for Structural Heart Disease, we bring together specialists from multiple disciplines to recommend the best therapy for you. We also participate in leading clinical trials for new devices and valves.
Four valves control blood flow inside the heart. The mitral valve manages blood flow on the left side of the heart. It sits between the atrium (upper chamber) and the ventricle (lower chamber).
Normally, two flaps open to allow blood to flow from the atrium to the ventricle. The flaps then tightly close to stop blood from leaking backward.
Mitral valve disease causes the valve to not open or close properly, making the heart pump harder. The two types of mitral valve disease are:
Mitral valve disease can eventually cause complications such as blood clots, high blood pressure and a potentially dangerous heart beat known as atrial fibrillation. It can also lead to heart failure and stroke if untreated.
Mitral valve disease can be present at birth (congenital) or develop later in life (acquired):
Mitral valve disease progresses slowly. You may not experience symptoms in the early stages, then feel the affects as the disease worsens over time. Symptoms include:
Our doctors begin diagnosis with a thorough evaluation, which can occur at our main campus, Henry Ford Hospital, or Jackson (Henry Ford Allegiance) or Clinton Township (Henry Ford Macomb).
We want to learn about your symptoms, concerns and medical history during this visit, so we:
Our team works together to develop your customized treatment plan after confirming a diagnosis. We offer the latest procedures to treat mitral valve disease, including:
Know your heart risk in just 5 minutes! Take our Get Heart Smart quiz today and you will get a personalized heart risk report that could help you live healthier and longer.
Find tips on eating healthy, staying fit and reducing stress to advice on chronic disease management. We have many articles and recipes to help support a healthy heart.
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