[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/08\/the-ozaki-procedure-an-innovative-treatment-for-aortic-valve-replacement\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/08\/the-ozaki-procedure-an-innovative-treatment-for-aortic-valve-replacement\/","headline":"The Ozaki Procedure: An Innovative Treatment for Aortic Valve Replacement","name":"The Ozaki Procedure: An Innovative Treatment for Aortic Valve Replacement","description":"Aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo) is an innovative procedure for aortic valve replacements. Learn more about how the procedure works from UPMC.","datePublished":"2021-08-27","dateModified":"2022-04-26","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","name":"Heart and Vascular Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/heart-and-vascular-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-995966886.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-995966886.jpg","height":325,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/08\/the-ozaki-procedure-an-innovative-treatment-for-aortic-valve-replacement\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Heart and Vascular Health"],"wordCount":919,"articleBody":"The\u00a0aortic valve\u00a0separates the left ventricle (lower left chamber) of the heart from the aorta, which carries blood to the rest of the body.When working properly, the aortic valve is a one-way gate. It opens to let blood from the left ventricle flow into the aorta when the heart pumps. Between heartbeats, the valve closes to keep blood from flowing backward into the ventricle.If the aortic valve isn’t working properly, it affects the heart’s overall function. This condition is known as aortic valve disease. Types of aortic valve disease include:Aortic stenosis:\u00a0When the valve doesn’t open wide enough to allow adequate blood flow.Aortic valve regurgitation: When the valve doesn’t close properly, causing blood to leak backward into the heart.Bicuspid aortic valve: A birth defect in which the valve may not close correctly, causing blood to flow backward into the heart.Endocarditis: An aortic valve infection.The Ozaki procedure is an innovative treatment for aortic valve disease.What Is the Ozaki Procedure?A common treatment for aortic valve disease is aortic valve replacement (AVR). In traditional AVR surgery, doctors remove the diseased valve and replace it with a synthetic mechanical valve or a valve made of animal tissue.The Ozaki procedure replaces a diseased valve with one constructed from your own tissue. Doctors use part of the pericardium \u2014 the sac surrounding your heart \u2014 to create the new valve.\u201cThe attractive nature of this procedure is the surgeon is able to reconstruct a diseased aortic valve with your own tissue,” says\u00a0Danny Chu, MD, senior staff cardiac surgeon,\u00a0UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute.Experts at UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute have several years of clinical experience with the Ozaki procedure. They train surgeons from across the world to use this innovative technique.How Does the Ozaki Procedure Work?Most patients with aortic valve disease are candidates for the Ozaki procedure. The exception is people who have undergone heart surgery in the past. That’s because doctors typically cut through the pericardium to perform heart surgery.Before the procedure, doctors take a non-contrast CT scan of the chest. They look at the size of the heart and blood vessels and the quality of the pericardium.For the operation, the surgeon makes an incision in the chest and separates the breastbone. The surgeon removes a piece of the patient’s pericardium, places the patient on a heart-lung machine, and removes the diseased aortic valve.After adding a chemical called glutaraldehyde to the pericardium tissue to strengthen it, the surgical team constructs a new valve.A normal aortic valve has three tissue flaps (leaflets) that open and close to control blood flow. During the Ozaki procedure, the surgeon uses stitches to create the three leaflets for the new valve.After creating the new valve, the surgeon places it into the patient’s heart and finishes the procedure. The procedure can take several hours.Patients usually stay in the hospital for five to seven days afterward and have one to two months of recovery, Dr. Chu says.\u201cWe’ll see the patient in clinic about a month or so after the operation,” Dr. Chu says. \u201cWe’ll get an ultrasound to look at the valve. After that, we’ll want the patient to get an ultrasound once a year to look at this valve.”Benefits of the Ozaki ProcedureMore than 10 years of data on the Ozaki procedure show no major long-term complications from the treatment.Dr. Chu says data show that 95% of patients won’t need another operation. And patients who have the Ozaki procedure are at nearly zero risk of needing a permanent pacemaker. That data comes from a\u00a0study in the\u00a0Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.Dr. Chu stresses that the Ozaki\u00a0procedure is not experimental. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been a beneficial alternative for many UPMC patients.Other benefits of the Ozaki technique include:No risk of your body rejecting the valve since it’s made from your own heart tissue.No long-term blood thinners are required.The valves have good blood flow dynamics.Risks of the Ozaki ProcedureRisks of the Ozaki procedure are similar to other valve replacements, including:BleedingBlood clotsInfectionIrregular heart rhythmsThe Ozaki Procedure at UPMCUPMC is the only health care provider in western Pennsylvania to offer the Ozaki procedure. The team of experts at UPMC’s Center for Heart Valve Disease has the highest volume of adult Ozaki procedures in the United States. Led by Dr. Chu, the center is a UPMC Center of Excellence.Dr. Chu hopes the Ozaki procedure becomes a more standard approach for valve replacement.\u201cThe data speaks for itself,” Dr. Chu says. \u201cThe data for this is better than nearly all the tissue valves out there. This should be a really attractive option for many patients.”The\u00a0UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute\u00a0offers world-class care close to home. We offer a team approach to care and cutting-edge treatments.For more information on the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute:Call 1-855-876-2484 (1-855-UPMC-HVI) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.Email\u00a0HeartAndVascular@UPMC.edu.Visit us online.SourcesAmerican Heart Association, Roles of Your Four Heart Valves. LinkAmerican Heart Association, Heart Valve Problems and Causes. LinkAVNeo, Understand AVNeo. LinkAVNeo, Benefits of AVNeo. LinkShigeyuki Ozaki, MD, et al, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Midterm Outcomes After Aortic Valve Neocuspidization With Glutaraldehyde-treated Autologous Pericardium. Link"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Ozaki Procedure: An Innovative Treatment for Aortic Valve Replacement","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/08\/the-ozaki-procedure-an-innovative-treatment-for-aortic-valve-replacement\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]