Mitral Valve Prolapse - Safe to Have a Mommy Makeover?

Mitral valve prolapse is a relatively common cardiac
condition.In the vast majority of
cases, it doesn’t represent a contraindication to Mommy Makeover surgery.Nevertheless,
it’s appropriate to obtain a cardiology consultation prior to surgery.If clearance is given by this specialist,
it’s reasonable to proceed with surgery.Under these circumstances, surgery can be accomplished safely and
provide excellent clinical results.

Mitral valve prolapse is usually not a contraindication to having srgery or multiple procedures performed. I would recommend a medical clearance from your Cardiologist or Internist and perioperative antibiotics.

A mitral valve prolapse does not mean you heart is in bad condition.  Sometimes the valve has a small leak with little to no decrease in your heart's function.  I would check with you primary care doctor to ask how significant your valve prolapse is.

Thank you for your question.  With mitral valve prolapse, you'll need clearance from your internist or cardiologist before any surgical procedures.  After you get this clearance, make sure your anesthesiologist knows what is going on as well to prevent any sudden cancellations before your surgery.  However, once you get the "green light" from your surgery you should be just fine.  Good luck!

the "safe" length of a surgery is truly subjective.  i think most surgeons would agree that 10 to 12 hours is too long.  is 8 hours too long?  for me it is.  i like to keep my elective operations under about 6 hours.  this is for a few reasons.  the longer the surgery, the higher the risk of dvt (blood clots in the legs that can potentially cause severe respiratory issues and can be fatal).  also, recovery from anesthesia can take longer and there can be more problems with nausea. finally, we are like anyone else and we tire.  it is hard for me to concentrate for more than six hours without fatiguing.  no breaks for food or bathroom and i simply get tired.

Regardless of your mitral valve prolapse this is too much surgery in one session.  Regarding your mitral valve prolapse, cardiology clearance is recommended prior to any cosmetic surgery.  Please rethink you decision about having this done all at once.

Dr. ES

The background information in your post is really insufficient for any of us to give you a proper or correct answer. We do not know your age, medications you take, height to weight ratio, whether the prolapse is accompanied by regurgitant blood flow etc. There is no photo to even get an idea about how extensive the tummy tuck would be. I have done 3 hour tummy tucks and I have done 5 hour tummy tucks. The patients obviously did not have the exact same surgery though the name of the surgery was the same. MVP without regurgitant flow in a healthy 30 year old that is not overly obese has no bearing on most surgery or anesthesia compared to the same healthy individual without MVP. If the flow is regurgitant prophylactic antibiotics are required but most surgeons give prophylactic antibiotics with all of their tummy tucks anyways.

If you are concerned and worried that the operative time is too long then it is too long. You need to discuss this with your surgeon and break the procedure up into 2 or more stages. If the surgeon tries to convince you to do more than you want in one sitting that is a red flag. You should not go straight home after this surgery even if it is staged. You need after care with a trained nurse. If that is not arranged prior to the date of surgery it is another red flag. I personally feel tummy tuck, breast surgery and head to toe liposuction is too much for one sitting unless one surgeon does the breast and the other the abdomen at the same time. In fact I do not even like to do the breast and tummy at the same time unless it would be a 3 hour or less tummy tuck on its own.

Mitral valve prolapse is usually not a contraindication for a mommy makeover surgery but each patient should be evaluated by a cardiologist to rule out other associated problems. If it is just a mitral valve prolapse it should be just as safe to perform surgery on you like any other healthy patient

Your preoperative physical should address whether the mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is an issue or not, and if it appears to be a concern, further evaluation and workup by a cardiologist can address these issues. In my experience, most patients with MVP are cleared for cosmetic surgery (though perioperative antibiotics are recommended, and are used anyway), and have no increased risks from this standpoint.

Of greater concern is the fact that you are having so much liposuction in addition to the "main events" of breast lift plus implants, and tummy tuck. Will your surgeon "rush" these "main" surgeries to allow completion of all of the other areas of smart-lipo? Just add up the areas: 2 hips, 2 thighs (only if one location on the thighs, could be lateral and medial which would be 4 areas), 2 arms, chin, and back = 8 (or more) separate operative sites, each requiring infiltration of fluid, laser treatment of the fatty tissue, aspiration of the liquefied fat, and a stitch or two. And of course, you want careful sculpting, not rush and go surgery! Say 15 minutes per site MINIMUM; that equals 2 hours or more, and leaves only 5-6 hours for a breast lift plus implants, and a full tummy tuck. Sure, it can be done, but either your surgeon will compromise (say staples for closure rather than "under-the-skin, hidden, dissolving" sutures, or "skipping" the muscle plication for the tummy tuck), or surgery that concentrates on speed rather than quality. And don't forget that your once your operation is over there is bandaging and compression garments for all of these areas. That adds to the anesthesia time, and unless you have an explicit agreement that your charges are completely prepaid, there may be an unwelcome surprise when you get a bill for the additional operating room, anesthesia, and anesthesia provider time!

And that's only the issue IF you don't have any kind of intra-operative or post-operative complication requiring hospital admission (even if it's just for "nausea," you get another bill!) and overnight stay.

Don't get me wrong, I do many combination procedures, some lasting as long as you have planned. I am just of the opinion that with the list of procedures you are contemplating, perhaps your surgeon is "cutting corners" or not being entirely forthcoming with the total anesthesia time (and possible additional costs). Consider another consultation with an experienced, board-certified (American Board of Plastic Surgery) plastic surgeon, or consider having your surgeon carefully outline the time-line and at least discuss a two-surgery approach! Best wishes!

This is alot of surgery and the planned procedure should be discussed in combination with your cardiologist. You may require pre-operative testing such as an echocardiogram or stress test. Peri-operative antibiotics may also be warranted if recommended by your cardiologist.