Hi Musky45 Thanks for that .. however the website link goes to a...

Hi Musky45

Thanks for that .. however the website link goes to a site which shows a procedure for repair of the broken chords (support strings for the valve flaps) which is not the same thing as valve replacement ... they also make the statement

"Mitral valve repair procedures are typically performed through a 3 to 10 inch chest incision (sternotomy). The surgery is usually an open heart procedure making it necessary to stop the heart and place the patient on bypass."

So while I am very grateful to you Musky45, if anyone else has some info regarding valve replacement I would be grateful
I think it would also help us all to more fully understand what must be a very complex procedure although they make it sound simple ...

D