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Future heart valve repair

Without opening the chest

The ability of heart surgeons to open up your chest, stop your heart, and repair or replace a heart valve that isn't working properly is a miracle of modern medicine. This time-tested procedure is generally very safe and almost always results in an effective and durable fix.

Still, even under the best of circumstances, open-heart surgery puts major stress on the body — particularly from large chest incisions and from being on a bypass machine that keeps your blood flowing when your heart is stopped. Recovery usually requires several days in the hospital, and it may take six to eight weeks before you start feeling normal again.

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