How Do Artificial Heart Valves Work?
Heart valve disease Can be helped by way of medicine or other treatments, unfortunately when all else fails, you will need surgery to help provide relief from the symptoms of heart valve disease which include symptoms such as chest pain or palpitations, lightheadedness or loss of consciousness, swollen ankles, feet or abdomen and shortness of breath, difficulty catching your breath, fatigue, weakness, or inability to maintain regular activity level as noted on the Health Org website. This can be a scary thing to go through and you might run through your mind over what else it could be besides valve disease. While in all actuality any surgery DOES have its side effects and risks, in this day and age, this is a disease which can be helped. The biggest issue is for you to understand the different valve surgeries available; benefits, disadvantages, how long the valves will last as well as any regulation of medical devices in the US. Hopefully the below article will help educate you into making a better choice,
Patient Factors
Don’t worry, the whole "choice" is not only dependent on you, it’s also dependent on what your doctor might think is best for you. Usually you will be asked to answer a few questions or your doctor will look over your medical forms to tell you what they think is the best valve replacement options for your specific needs. Some of the things they will look at include:
- Age and Life expectancy: Age itself is not a fixed indicator in which option you should choose, but the American College of Cardiology and American Medical Association does have guidelines. For example, for people over the age of 65 it’s suggested that a mechanical valve is what is used more than anything else in patients and is what seems to be the most appropriate for people of that age.
- Other Diseases: Not only can your age number alter the criteria for which valve type you should get, but so do diseases like cancer, diabetes and liver disease. Don’t be surprised if your doctor suggests a specific valve replacement or repair accordingly.
- Patient lifestyle: Beyond just age, expectancy and diseases, you criteria will also be based on your lifestyle.
- Patient preference: Some people just don't want a mechanical valve or they just don’t want a tissue valve. The preference of the patient means a lot so make sure you have your own input when it comes to the doctors suggestions and ask questions when possible.
Types of Heart Valves
In all, there are just two options available to you. Tissue heart valves and mechanical. Each has its own benefits of course.
Tissue Heart Valves: These are "live" tissue valves that are usually harvested from either a pig (porcine) or a cow heart sac (bovine). Some people are, let’s be honest, hesitant about having a pig or cow heart sac in their body. But, in the name of science, it still is pretty cool you have to admit. Like anything else going into your body that is "alive" it will be neutralized as well as treated so your body won’t reject the valves. This goes with anything like heart transplants, kidney transplants, etc. Tissue heart valves tend to last anywhere from 10 to 15 years. So perhaps if you are older and you are thinking 10-15 years from now, you might be say 70-85 years old. Maybe you won’t want to go through with another surgery that quickly, in that case, check out other options.
Tissue heart valve stented vs. stentless: Stented valves tend to not perform as well as stentless valves. On the other hand, stentless valves help improve blood flow, but they are also more difficult in surgery to be put in and in a lot of cases considering the criteria, they might not be able to be used on you.
Benefits: One of the biggest benefits of tissue valves is that they require less anticoagulation, which means you have reduced chances of bleeding. Usually for most people, when doing anticoagulation therapy with tissue heart valves, patients that take 1 aspirin a day find the pain manageable.
Mechanical Heart Valves: For the past 30 years a material called pyrolytic carbon has been used for mechanical heart valves and with quite a success. But, like the tissue valves, these mechanical valves also have their pros and cons. The pyrolytic carbon is a "bi-leaflet" design. This specific design is quite ingenious because it has two leaflets which are both made from carbon and they help to regulate the flow of blood in one single direction.
Mechanical Heart Valve Benefits: One of the biggest benefits of these specific valves is that they essentially will last a patient’s lifetime and they are also the most preferred option for people that have life expectancies at 10-15 years. One of the ways they do this, is that they completely help to eliminate the fatality risk that is common when it comes to replacement of the valves and work out tissue valves. Unlike tissue valves which can be used in patients that use warfarin is that sometimes there is a risk of bleeding. The bleeding is rare, but essentially it is potentially fatal. Another disadvantage to a mechanical valve is the sound. Yes, some people have reported hearing a wispy sound when the valve opens and closes. Some people say it doesn't bother them, while others call it "annoying."
Patient Factors
Don’t worry, the whole "choice" is not only dependent on you, it’s also dependent on what your doctor might think is best for you. Usually you will be asked to answer a few questions or your doctor will look over your medical forms to tell you what they think is the best valve replacement options for your specific needs. Some of the things they will look at include:
- Age and Life expectancy: Age itself is not a fixed indicator in which option you should choose, but the American College of Cardiology and American Medical Association does have guidelines. For example, for people over the age of 65 it’s suggested that a mechanical valve is what is used more than anything else in patients and is what seems to be the most appropriate for people of that age.
- Other Diseases: Not only can your age number alter the criteria for which valve type you should get, but so do diseases like cancer, diabetes and liver disease. Don’t be surprised if your doctor suggests a specific valve replacement or repair accordingly.
- Patient lifestyle: Beyond just age, expectancy and diseases, you criteria will also be based on your lifestyle.
- Patient preference: Some people just don't want a mechanical valve or they just don’t want a tissue valve. The preference of the patient means a lot so make sure you have your own input when it comes to the doctors suggestions and ask questions when possible.
Types of Heart Valves
In all, there are just two options available to you. Tissue heart valves and mechanical. Each has its own benefits of course.
Tissue Heart Valves: These are "live" tissue valves that are usually harvested from either a pig (porcine) or a cow heart sac (bovine). Some people are, let’s be honest, hesitant about having a pig or cow heart sac in their body. But, in the name of science, it still is pretty cool you have to admit. Like anything else going into your body that is "alive" it will be neutralized as well as treated so your body won’t reject the valves. This goes with anything like heart transplants, kidney transplants, etc. Tissue heart valves tend to last anywhere from 10 to 15 years. So perhaps if you are older and you are thinking 10-15 years from now, you might be say 70-85 years old. Maybe you won’t want to go through with another surgery that quickly, in that case, check out other options.
Tissue heart valve stented vs. stentless: Stented valves tend to not perform as well as stentless valves. On the other hand, stentless valves help improve blood flow, but they are also more difficult in surgery to be put in and in a lot of cases considering the criteria, they might not be able to be used on you.
Benefits: One of the biggest benefits of tissue valves is that they require less anticoagulation, which means you have reduced chances of bleeding. Usually for most people, when doing anticoagulation therapy with tissue heart valves, patients that take 1 aspirin a day find the pain manageable.
Mechanical Heart Valves: For the past 30 years a material called pyrolytic carbon has been used for mechanical heart valves and with quite a success. But, like the tissue valves, these mechanical valves also have their pros and cons. The pyrolytic carbon is a "bi-leaflet" design. This specific design is quite ingenious because it has two leaflets which are both made from carbon and they help to regulate the flow of blood in one single direction.
Mechanical Heart Valve Benefits: One of the biggest benefits of these specific valves is that they essentially will last a patient’s lifetime and they are also the most preferred option for people that have life expectancies at 10-15 years. One of the ways they do this, is that they completely help to eliminate the fatality risk that is common when it comes to replacement of the valves and work out tissue valves. Unlike tissue valves which can be used in patients that use warfarin is that sometimes there is a risk of bleeding. The bleeding is rare, but essentially it is potentially fatal. Another disadvantage to a mechanical valve is the sound. Yes, some people have reported hearing a wispy sound when the valve opens and closes. Some people say it doesn't bother them, while others call it "annoying."