Organ Replacement in Animals - Heart Valves

Heart Valves

Open-heart surgery for dogs requires a six- to eight-person team to carefully monitor the patient before and during the invasive surgery. The entire surgery lasts five hours, during which time the dog is connected to a blood oxygenator and the heart is bypassed. The defective heart valve is removed and the replacement valve, typically from bovine pericardium, is precisely sewn into place. The dog’s heart is then restarted and monitored for at least two hours after the surgery is completed. Due to the expense, this is not a common procedure.