HeartValveSurgery com Robotic Mitral Valve Repair Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 10 May 2021 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HeartValveSurgery com Robotic Mitral Valve Repair Patient education website HeartValveSurgery.com recently featured a video interview with cardiothoracic surgeon Joanna Chikwe, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, about her minimally-invasive approach to fixing leaks caused by mitral valve regurgitation, one of the most common forms of heart valve disease. The mitral valve helps regulate the direction of blood flow in the heart. When the valve becomes leaky, it causes mitral valve regurgitation. "Every time your heart beats, half the blood is going forward, but half the blood is going backward in the wrong direction," Chikwe told HeartValveSurgery.com. "Your heart has to do twice the amount of work to get the same job done." Surgery to repair or replace the leaking valve can relieve a patient's debilitating fatigue, prevent complications, such as heart failure and stroke, and restore normal life expectancy. If robotic surgery makes sense for a patient, Chikwe said it can be a nearly pain-free way of restoring normal life expectancy. "It allows us to do the repair through a small incision-not much bigger than the short [edge] of a credit card-between the ribs," Chikwe said in the interview. "That allows people to go home within three or four days." It's also a very safe option. Chikwe said that she performs 95% of her mitral valve repairs robotically, and the complication rate for the procedure at Cedars-Sinai is less than 0.5%. "It wasn't until I came to Cedars that I got the opportunity to use the robot with one of the most experienced teams in the country, and that's been completely transformational," said Chikwe, The Irina and George Schaeffer Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery. Click here to watch the complete interview on HeartValveSurgery.com. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release HeartValveSurgery com Robotic Mitral Valve Repair Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home