Mr. Zhao, who has been suffering from rheumatic heart valve disease for 30 years, came to Wuhan Asian Heart Hospital with a dejected face and the help of his family. Before Mr. Zhao could sit down, he said eagerly, “Doctor, is there a cure for my disease? I’ve been to all the major hospitals in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, and they said I’ve lost my chance for surgery. I really regret it! I went to Beijing a few years ago, and the doctor said I needed a flap replacement, but at that time I was afraid of surgery, so I put it off as long as I could. Now I can’t put it off, and the doctor won’t give me the surgery I want to do.” Looking at his disappointed look, I reassured him while carefully giving him a physical examination, exhaustively checking his examination data in other hospitals, I could not help but be secretly surprised: it was too serious. The heart had been extremely enlarged, with very poor cardiac function, ascites and jaundice. I could only ask President Zhu to see if there was still a chance of surgery. President Zhu personally performed the examination and took the patient to the radiology department to see the patient’s heartbeat. President Zhu carefully studied the patient’s condition and then said, “There is a ray of hope for surgical treatment, but the surgery is risky.” I think it would have been great if the patient could have been treated in time at that time! Cardiologists have a responsibility and an obligation to educate people about this. The human heart is like a “pump” that constantly pumps blood throughout the body to meet the needs of the body. The heart valve is the one-way “valve” of the pump, which ensures that blood flows in a normal direction. Valves that are affected by inflammation, aging, congenital malformations, and ischemic necrosis can cause structural abnormalities in the valves, which can lead to valve stenosis and/or incomplete closure. This heart disease with damaged valves is called heart valve disease. Rheumatic heart valve disease is the most common in China. The most susceptible valve in the heart is the mitral valve, followed by the aortic valve. A narrowed valve prevents blood from being pumped out. When the valve is not fully closed, blood can flow backwards. Both of these conditions affect the body’s blood supply. In the early stages of the disease, dyspnea may occur with activity; as the disease worsens, wheezing and panic may occur at rest, and some patients may have symptoms such as inability to lie down at night, generalized swelling, liver stasis, and ascites. When the valve has severe stenosis or incomplete closure, serious calcified malformation of the valve leaflets, and symptoms of heart failure, angina pectoris, syncope, etc., artificial valve replacement should be preferred. The development of heart valve replacement was a brilliant achievement in cardiac surgery in the 20th century. Heart valve replacement has reached a fairly mature stage in the field of cardiac surgery and has saved the lives of a large number of patients with heart valve disease. However, in clinical practice, we find that many patients are hesitant to undergo surgical treatment and cannot make up their mind, which delays the optimal timing of surgery. Once the disease progresses to very poor cardiac function (left ventricular function EF 8.0 cm), the risk of surgery and postoperative period is increased; or the opportunity of surgery is lost. With the continuous improvement in the quality of artificial heart valves and the continuous improvement in extracorporeal circulation, myocardial protection and surgical techniques, the success rate of all types of valve surgery is now extremely high as long as the indications and timing of surgery are mastered.