Are you constantly out of breath and fatigued, even after getting a good night’s sleep? These are both symptoms of heart valve regurgitation. This condition occurs most commonly in either the mitral valve or aortic valve. In both cases, the heart valve fails to prevent blood from flowing back in the opposite direction when the leaflets that control blood flow are contracting. This leakage or back flow reduces blood supply to organs and overloads the heart, causing it to work harder.
Whether your condition developed suddenly or over decades, minimally invasive procedures, medications, and lifestyle adjustments can help restore your heart’s function and improve your quality of life.
When a heart valve becomes too narrow (stenosis) or fails to close properly (regurgitation), it forces your heart to work much harder to pump blood. For patients at high risk or ineligible for traditional open-chest surgery, doctors can perform percutaneous (catheter-based) procedures. These innovative methods are the cornerstone of heart valve disease treatment without surgery, allowing for smaller incisions, faster recovery, and reduced risk.
Here are the primary non-surgical procedures and the specific conditions they treat:
This procedure specifically cures severe aortic valve stenosis. Instead of opening the chest, a doctor threads a thin catheter—usually through an artery in the groin—up to the heart. A fully collapsible replacement valve is delivered to the site of the damaged aortic valve and expanded, immediately taking over the job of regulating blood flow.
This technique is used to treat mitral valve regurgitation (a leaking mitral valve). Using a catheter, the doctor places a small clip on the flaps of the mitral valve, helping it close more tightly and preventing blood from flowing backward.
Used primarily for a narrowed and rigid mitral or aortic valve, this procedure involves guiding a catheter with a deflated balloon into the tightened valve. The balloon is then inflated to stretch the valve open and separate the leaflets, improving blood flow.
While medications cannot physically repair a torn or calcified valve, they are a vital component of heart valve disease treatment without surgery. Medications help manage your symptoms, reduce the workload on your heart, and prevent life-threatening complications.
It is completely normal to have concerns about the risks associated with any medical treatment. Working closely with your cardiologist will help you manage and minimize these issues.
Although minimally invasive catheter procedures carry fewer risks than open-heart surgery, potential complications can include bleeding or bruising at the catheter insertion site (usually the groin), blood clots, a reaction to the anesthesia, or the development of a new irregular heartbeat.
Prescription drugs used to manage heart valve disease can cause side effects, which often depend on the dosage. Common mild side effects include fatigue, dizziness, nausea, or cold extremities. Blood thinners carry an increased risk of easy bruising or bleeding. If you experience severe side effects like shortness of breath or chest pain, you should contact your doctor immediately.
You have a significant amount of control over your heart health. Adopting heart-healthy habits is an empowering way to support your heart valve disease treatment without surgery.
Vejthani International Hospital in Bangkok is highly skilled in performing both repair and replacement procedures and is one of the most experienced hospitals performing TAVI/TAVR in Thailand. Your doctor will keep you fully informed of your options to ensure the highest chance of success.
For more information or to schedule an assessment, please contact:
Cardiac Center, 5th floor, Vejthani International Hospital
Call: (+66)2-734-0000 Ext. 5300
English Hotline: (+66)85-223-8888
Yes. Mild to moderate heart valve problems can often be managed effectively with medications and lifestyle changes. For severe cases, minimally invasive catheter-based procedures like TAVI/TAVR or MitraClip offer excellent alternatives to traditional open-heart surgery, providing a faster recovery with fewer complications.
While you cannot physically reverse structural damage to a heart valve through natural means, you can strengthen the surrounding heart muscle and reduce the strain on the valve. You can achieve this by eating a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising moderately, and managing your blood pressure.
Life expectancy varies greatly depending on the severity of the disease and the specific valve affected. Many people with mild valve disease live normal, full lifespans without ever needing intervention. For severe cases, timely treatments, including heart valve disease treatment without surgery like TAVR, drastically improve both life expectancy and daily quality of life.
