Many heart valve disease treatments are tried and true, including:
- Valve replacement surgery
- Valve repair surgery
- Bypass surgery
However, to do these procedures, surgeons have had to break the patient’s breastbone. That means a long, painful recovery.
“Patients have long been asking for less invasive options,” says Gorav Ailawadi, MD, who specializes in minimally invasive heart surgery.
With certain procedures, UVA surgeons now make smaller incisions and go through a patient’s side or groin. This often means no broken bones. “They get back to driving sooner. They get back to their normal life; they get back to work sooner,” Ailawadi says.
In this week’s podcast, Ailawadi gives more details about minimally invasive heart surgery and options for people with heart valve disease.
Listen to the podcast: