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Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty
Day of the treatment
Arriving at the hospital
Upon arrival at the hospital, ,check in at the Cardiac Cath Lab reception desk (Feinberg Pavilion, 251 East Huron, 8th floor) between 6 and 6:30 a.m. unless told otherwise. Parking is available.
Be sure to bring:
- A list of current medicines
- Reading material and personal items for an overnight stay. Leave valuables at home.
- Insurance card
Plan to have a responsible adult take you home.
For their own safety, children under the age of 16 may not visit the testing area. They may stay in the waiting room with a responsible adult.
Preparing for the treatment
- You will be assigned a room for both your pre- and post-cath care. After you change into hospital gown, the nurse will review your health history and take your blood pressure and pulse. Blood tests will be done as needed. An IV (into the vein) line will be inserted into your arm or hand. The IV is used for fluids and needed medicine during the exam. Your groin area will be cleaned and shaved. The femoral artery and vein in the groin will be used for the procedure.
- The doctor will discuss the exam with you. After the doctor has answered your questions, you will be asked to give your written consent for the test.
- You may wear your watch, glasses, dentures (or bridgework), jewelry and hairpieces. You will be asked to empty your bladder just before going into the cath lab.
During the treatment
- Once in the cath lab, you are assisted onto a firm X-ray table. The room has a camera and several TV monitors.
- Medicine to relax you will be given into the IV line.
- You may feel drowsy but usually you will be awake and comfortable during the test.
- The area around the puncture site will be cleaned with a special soap that may feel cold. An anesthetic (numbing medicine) will be injected into the area.
- Plastic tubes, called sheaths, will be inserted into the artery and vein. These sheaths are used to guide the catheter into place. This is not usually painful. You may feel pressure and mild discomfort at the puncture site. If needed, additional numbing medicine is given.
- Contrast is injected into the catheter and carried through the blood vessels. As the contrast is injected, you may feel flushed or warm. This lasts a few seconds. A series of X-rays will be taken.
- During mitral valvuloplasty, a thin tube with a small needle will be used to puncture the septum (the wall between the right and left atrium).
- A narrow wire will be inserted up the catheter and through this hole into the chamber just above the mitral valve.
- Using X-rays, the doctor will guide the balloon into position across the mitral valve. Then the balloon catheter will inflate like an hourglass. It will be held in position as the edges of the mitral valve are stretched. The balloon catheter is often inflated a number of times until the valve is open.
- You may have some chest pressure or discomfort, or feel lightheaded, as the balloon is inflated. This is normal. The doctors and nurses will be talking to you during the procedure. If you feel any discomfort, let them know. After inflations of the balloon, several measurements will be taken, including your heart pressure and the valve size.
Review Date: 12/04
