what is aortic valve replacement Robin Williams To Have Valve Replacement Heart?”
Aortic valve replacement: Aortic valve replacement is a cardiac surgery procedure in which a patient’s aortic valve is replaced by a different valve. The aortic valve can be affected by a range of diseases; the valve can either become leaky (aortic insufficiency / regurgitation) or partially blocked (aortic stenosis). Aortic valve replacement currently requires open heart surgery. Surgical Procedure: Aortic valve replacement is most frequently done through a median sternotomy, meaning the chestbone is sawed in half. Once the pericardium has been opened, the patient is placed on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, also referred to as the heart-lung machine. This machine takes over the task of breathing for the patient and pumping their blood around while the surgeon replaces the heart valve. Once the patient is on bypass, an incision is made in the aorta. The surgeon then removes the patient’s diseased aortic valve and a mechanical or tissue valve is put in its place. Once the valve is in p
Comedian Robin Williams is currently in the hospital and expected to have surgery in the very near future. After experiencing shortness of breath while out on an 80 city comedy tour, Williams was diagnosed with a defective aortic valve, which will need to be replaced. The aortic valve is the last valve that blood passes through while being pumped by the heart. The blood leaves the left ventricle, passes through the aortic valve, then into the rest of the body through the aorta. A weakness or deficiency in this valve greatly reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood, causing the heart to work harder for less results. The surgery to replace the valve is a common one, but the major risks of the procedure are usually due to having a machine pump the blood through your body while the surgery is happening, as the heart is temporarily stopped. Robin Williams may be at increased risk by his family history of heart problems. Williams’ brother, Robert Todd Williams, died in 2007 of complications
http://surgery.about.com/b/2009/03/05/surgery-news-robin-williams-to-have-valve-replacement-heart-surgery-after-shortness-of-breath.htm Surgery News: Robin Williams To Have Valve Replacement Heart Surgery After Shortness of Breath Thursday March 5, 2009 Comedian Robin Williams is currently in the hospital and expected to have surgery in the very near future. After experiencing shortness of breath while out on an 80 city comedy tour, Williams was diagnosed with a defective aortic valve, which will need to be replaced. The aortic valve is the last valve that blood passes through while being pumped by the heart. The blood leaves the left ventricle, passes through the aortic valve, then into the rest of the body through the aorta. A weakness or deficiency in this valve greatly reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood, causing
