The Day of Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery

The day of aortic valve replacement surgery can be stressful; if you feel anxious, request medication to help you relax and decrease your anxiety. To prepare you for the procedure, patches will be applied to the skin of your chest, arms, or legs for an electrocardiogram, or EKG. You will be given medications and fluids through an intravenous fluid line throughout the procedure on the day of aortic valve replacement. A special IV called an arterial line may be placed in an artery to check your heart rate and blood pressure continuously.

About Aortic Valve Replacement

The Day of Aortic Valve Replacement: An Overview

On the day of your aortic valve replacement, at your scheduled time, you may be taken to a pre-operative room or directly to the operating room. Your privacy will be maintained at all times, and the staff will make every effort to keep you warm and comfortable.

If you feel anxious, as most patients do, you can request medication to help you relax and decrease your anxiety.

To begin preparing you for aortic valve replacement surgery, patches will need to be applied to the skin of your chest, arms, or legs for an electrocardiogram, or EKG. An EKG records the electrical activity of your heart.

Many tubes and lines will also need to be placed to provide for your safety. Exactly when these tubes and lines are placed will vary. But you should expect them to be in place before the surgery begins.

Your healthcare professional will first make sure that you have an intravenous fluid line, or IV. You will be given medications and fluids through your IV throughout the procedure. Antibiotics will also be given to you to decrease your risk of infection.

A special IV called an arterial line may be placed in an artery -- usually in your right wrist -- to check your heart rate and blood pressure continuously.

A catheter, which is a plastic tube, will be inserted into your bladder. Another tube will be placed into your stomach, and a specialized IV will be inserted into a large vein in either your neck or upper chest.