Hi, I am Dr Talal Reda, Consultant Cardiothoracic surgeon. I will be happy to answer your question. First you need to know that there different types of Mitral regurgitations depending on the etiology or the cause of regurgitation. Also , It is essential to know the age of your husband to plan the choice of the procedure. Echocardioraphy assessment of the morphology (shape) of the mitral valve is of extreme importance if it can be repaired or not.
So my answers to your questions will be more or less generalized and NOT specifically for your husband case as i do not have enough information about his clinical condition.
Preparation for surgery from your side includes only giving medications, if patient has only isolated Mitral regurge with no coronary artery disease and he is NOT in Atrial Fibrillation or Heart failure, then he will be given simple medications to de-load his heart and make it ready for the surgery. The decision of repair or replacement depends on the preoperative Echocardiogram, Patient's age and also on the intra operative assessment of the cardiothoracic surgeon. If patient is for replacement, he will have 2 choices either to replace his mitral valve with a mechanical or biological valve, which again depends on his age, gender and patient's preference on which valve he wants. Surgery for an isolated Mitral valve procedure will typically take around 3-4 hours (skin to skin). during which the patient will be under general anesthesia and he will not be feeling anything. for the post operative care, typically the patient will spend at least one night in the ICU before being transferred to the ward. Patient will be able to go to toilet himself and will be independent 48h after surgery.
He will be encouraged to ambulate and do mild exercise gradually after surgery. Depending of the type of valve implanted or repaired. The patient may have to be on blood thinning medication like warfarin either for life for mechanical valve, or for one month only if it is biological valve or repair.
The cost of surgery in Malaysia for Mitral valve procedure varies depending on the type of valve implanted (replaced) or the use of ring for repair. Usually, biological valves are more expensive than mechanical valves and repair is cheaper than both. the cost may also include coronary angiogram if the patient is above 40-45 years of age.
So roughly the cost will be around RM 80k to RM 100K in most of private hospitals depending on patient general condition and how straight forward is his clinical condition and absence of morbidities. It's essential to remember that every patient is unique, and treatment plans can vary from person to person.
I hope this answered most of your questions.
Please feel free to reach to an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon for specific answers to your query.
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