Buffalo General Medical Center

Cardiac Services
Cardiac Valve Surgery

Cardiac Valve Repair and Replacement

A repaired valve has a life expectancy of at least 10 years. If the repaired valve is not projected to last at least that long, the valve is replaced rather than repaired. Kaleida Health heart surgeons have extensive experience with all types of valve replacement surgery, including aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement and pulmonic (lung) valve replacement.

Before surgery

Patients need to complete all dental work. Dental infections can allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream and infect the new heart valve - a condition that is very hard to treat.

After surgery

Patients need to take vigorous precautions to prevent infection and stay in good health. Among these precautions are:

• Take a blood thinner
• Take antibiotics about an hour before going to the dentist
• Report any skin, foot or hand infections to the doctor so that they can be treated aggressively to prevent spreading the infection to the blood or the heart valve
• Report fevers that are high, last a long time or keep coming back; fevers may indicate an infection that could spread to the blood or new heart valve

Minimally-Invasive

Minimally invasive heart valve surgery uses smaller incisions to repair or replace heart valves, which results in less pain and faster recovery times. This method is not for all patients, including patients who:

• Have severe valve damage
• Need more than one valve repaired or replaced
• Have clogged arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Are obese
• Have had previous heart surgeries

The following physicians perform these procedures:

CT Surgery Group
(716) 859-7600
Janerio Aldridge, MD
Hashmat Ashraf, MD
Gary Grosner, MD