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Mitral valve surgery is used to help correct a damaged mitral valve so that it returns to its function of regulating blood flow between the left heart chambers. Either open-heart surgery or a minimally invasive procedure can be used to repair the damaged mitral valve.
The heart has four valves that control the flow of blood to the heart: the aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonic (pulmonary) valves. Two common mitral valve conditions caused by heart valve disease are:
Cardiac surgeons at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center are high-volume performers in all types of heart valve surgery, including mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement. Our team has performed over 4,000 mitral valve repairs since 1971. In 1996, we launched our minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery program and have performed over 1,000 since then. In total, we've performed over 2,600 minimally invasive valve surgeries.
Our experienced surgeons, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of specialists through the Structural Heart Disease Program, handle the most complicated cases with a range of treatment options that improve the lives of cardiac surgery patients throughout the world. These include procedures that allow patients to avoid the use of long-term anticoagulants and procedures that are minimally invasive, offering faster recovery with less pain.
With 47,000 outpatient visits each year, the Heart & Vascular Center is one of the largest in the United States, treating over 7,000 inpatients and performing more than 8,000 procedures annually at our state-of-the-art Shapiro Cardiovascular Center.
Mitral Valve Repair Surgery
Cardiac surgeons at BWH’s Heart & Vascular Center offer a variety of surgical techniques to repair heart valves to enable them to open and shut efficiently. Surgical approaches include the following:
Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery
When your surgeon determines that your heart valve cannot be repaired, he or she may recommend mitral valve replacement surgery. Damaged heart valves are replaced with a choice of substitute valves including:
Mitral valve repair or replacement surgery may be performed with minimally invasive cardiac surgery or traditional (open) heart surgery. Surgeons in the Heart & Vascular Center use their advanced training and experience to perform varied surgical options – unique to each patient - when operating on heart valves.
We have particular experience and expertise in endoscopic mitral valve surgery, a minimally invasive approach that uses small incisions on the right side of the chest. Our surgeons are ranked among the world’s leading performers of mini-thoracotomy procedures.
Minimally invasive heart surgery uses small incisions and has fewer post-operative complications, allowing patients to recuperate faster with less pain. These include:
Open heart surgery means cutting skin and tissues with a wide incision so that your surgeon has a full view of your heart. Types of open surgery are:
Surgery may be recommended on your mitral valve if:
Learn more about heart valve disease.
The Heart & Vascular Center is located in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, across the street from BWH’s main 75 Francis Street entrance. The Heart & Vascular Center brings together the full range of services in one location, fostering seamless and coordinated care for all cardiovascular patients.
Prior to surgery, you will be scheduled for a visit to the Watkins Clinic in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center for preoperative information and tests.
The day of surgery, your care will be provided by surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses who specialize in mitral valve disease. The Heart & Vascular Center is home to one of the most advanced hybrid operating rooms in the country. After surgery, you will recover in the post-surgical care unit where you will receive comprehensive care by an experienced surgical and nursing staff.
During your surgery, family and friends can wait in the Shapiro Family Center where staff members will provide surgery updates.
In addition to our cardiac surgeons, patients also benefit from the teamwork of medical cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiovascular imaging experts and radiologists, and anesthesiologists, all experts in cardiovascular disease. They work alongside nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, dietitians and social workers to achieve outstanding outcomes for our patients.
Learn more about heart valve repair and replacement surgery in our health library.
Visit the Kessler Health Education Library in the Bretholtz Center for Patients and Families to access computers and knowledgeable staff.
Access a complete directory of patient and family services.
Learn about the Watkins Clinic in the Shapiro Center.
Download Cardiac Surgery: A Guide for Patients in English or Spanish.
The Heart & Vascular Center is located in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, across the street from Brigham and Women’s main 75 Francis St. entrance. The Heart & Vascular Center brings together the full range of services in one location, fostering seamless and coordinated care for all cardiovascular patients.
Prior to surgery, you will be scheduled for a visit to the Watkins Clinic in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center for preoperative information and tests.
The day of surgery, your care will be provided by surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses who specialize in mitral valve disease. The Heart & Vascular Center is home to one of the most advanced hybrid operating rooms in the country. After surgery, you will recover in the post-surgical care unit, where you will receive comprehensive care from an experienced surgical and nursing staff.
During your surgery, family and friends can wait in the Shapiro Family Center, where staff members will provide surgery updates.
In addition to our cardiac surgeons, patients also benefit from the teamwork of medical cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiovascular imaging experts and radiologists and anesthesiologists, all experts in cardiovascular disease. They work alongside nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, dietitians and social workers to achieve outstanding outcomes for our patients.
For over a century, a leader in patient care, medical education and research, with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery.
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