heart Valve (aortic) Replacement Surgery abroad

With Medtral New Zealand, you can have your aortic valve heart surgery performed by a highly qualified and experienced English-speaking cardiac surgeon, in a world-class private hospital – and enjoy comprehensive aftercare both in hospital and while recuperating in your high quality hotel. Medtral New Zealand makes the whole process of heart valve replacement abroad easy by taking care of every detail, so you can focus your energies on getting better.

Affordable heart valve replacement surgery

Our aortic valve replacement surgery travel packages cost from US$42,500 (expected stay in New Zealand 4-6 weeks). This package price is around 30-40% the cost of the procedure alone in the USA and includes:

return flights from North America (West Coast)
hospital stay of 6-7 days in a single room
hotel accommodation after the operation
all surgical procedures (including the valve) and expected medical costs
physical therapy (in-patient and out-patient)
aftercare in your hotel (nurse visits)
contingency insurance (to cover any serious adverse events).

What do heart valves do?

The heart has four chambers. The upper two are the right and left atria. The lower two are the right and left ventricles. Blood is pumped through the chambers, aided by four heart valves. The valves open and close to let the blood flow in only one direction.

What is a defective heart valve?

A defective heart valve is one that fails to fully open or fully close. A stenotic or narrowed heart valve can't open completely, so blood is pumped through a narrowed opening.

A leaking heart valve (Fig 1 below) is not able to close completely. This leads to regurgitation (blood leaking back through the valve when it should be closed). Eventually, the heart grows larger and will begin to fail. The main symptoms are shortness of breath and fatigue (tiredness).

What are the risks of surgery?

Wound infection. All surgery has a risk of infection, which can occur some days or weeks after the operation. Infection can usually be treated effectively with antibiotics.

It is important not to have any infections at the time of surgery, including teeth problems, bladder or skin infections. It is recommended that you have a dental check up within six months prior to surgery, as it is important not to have any major dental work for six months after the surgery.

Blood clots. Blood clots in the leg can be a complication of any major surgery. Such clots can form in the calf muscles and can travel to the lung (pulmonary embolism). These can occasionally be serious, even life-threatening and require treatment.
Scarring. Most incisions heal well, but a few people develop raised or widened scars. Infection in the wound or areas of movement increases the risks of adverse scarring.

Specific risks of heart valve replacement surgery

Mortality. Overall New Zealand and Australia have a very low mortality rate, but the risk of not having the surgery can be associated with a higher risk of dying. The risk of death (or serious complications) increases with increasing age, other serious illness, heart damage, urgency of operation, and recurrent surgery.

Bleeding. This is the most common complication. About five patients in 100 require further surgery to control excessive blood loss. In most cases, this resolves well with no further adverse effects.

Stroke. The risk of stroke or cerebrovascular accident significantly with age and disease of the aorta, but it is an uncommon complication. The effects of a stroke may be temporary and resolve over a few days, or may be permanent and include:

a loss of feeling or sensation in a part of the body
paralysis of one side of the body, arm or leg
speech difficulties or visual disturbances.

Infection of the breastbone (sternum). Infections of the breastbone usually require a stay in hospital and a course of antibiotics. Occasionally surgical intervention is required.

Arrhythmia (Irregular heart beat). The most common arrhythmia after surgery is atrial fibrillation. This is usually treated with medication. Uncommonly, a serious irregular rhythm can occur and may require an electric shock to correct it. If you feel palpitations after you go home, speak to your cardiologist. If palpitations do not subside after a few minutes or if you feel unwell or dizzy, call an ambulance.

Mood swings. It is common for patients to have some anxiety and loss of confidence related to their heart and general health but this usually improves during the weeks following surgery.

Cognitive function. Many patients have some impairment of short-term memory, and some difficulty with concentration and visual blurring. As such symptoms usually occur during the first few weeks driving is not allowed for four to six weeks after surgery. It is not unusual for six to nine months to pass before symptoms resolve completely.

Other risks. Although uncommon, numerous other risks of valve replacement surgery exist, including temporary or permanent kidney damage/blood infection/permanent pacemaker due to changes in the heart rhythm/accumulation of fluid around the heart and in lung cavities that may require drainage/ accumulation of air in the chest (pneumothorax) that may require temporary drainage.

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