Medtronic Lawsuit Attorneys, Williams Kherkher

Heart Valve Surgery

The heart is designed to pump blood in only one direction. The valves of the heart play a crucial role in ensuring that the blood flows in only one direction, opening and closing with every heartbeat. A change in pressure on one side of the vale causes them to open their doors at exactly the right time and then to close their doors to prevent a backflow of blood.

There are four very important valves in the heart. They are the:

• Tricuspid valve
• Pulmonary valve
• Mitral valve
• Aortic valve

Surgeons perform about 100,000 valve operations each year. The vast majority of these operations are done to repair or to replace the mitral or aortic valves. These valves are located on the left side of the heart. They need more surgical help because the left side of the heart works harder than the right side. The left valves are in charge of controlling the flow of oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the rest of the body.

When valve damage is mild, it can be treated with medication. When it is severe, surgery to repair or to replace the valve may be necessary. Valve repair is typically done on congenital valve defects and has a good success record.

Valve replacement is most often used to treat aortic valves and severely damaged mitral valves. It can also be used to treat any valve disease that is life-threatening. In some cases, more than one valve may be damaged so patients may need more than one repair or replacement.

If you have a heart arrhythmia and have been given a Medtronic ICD with SprintFidelis leads to control the problem, your health could be in danger.

Contact a Medtronic Lawsuit Attorney

To learn about the potential for injury, please contact the Medtronic lawsuit attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 800-761-3187 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.