Heart Valve Products
Heart Valve Replacement Products
Today, two types of prosthetic valves are used for valve replacement: mechanical
or tissue. Mechanical heart valves, made from man-made materials, are very
durable and should last a lifetime for a valve recipient who is under a
physician's care. To prevent blood clots from developing on the valve, which
can cause complications, a mechanical valve replacement requires that the
recipient take anticoagulation medicine (blood thinner) daily for his or her
lifetime.
Tissue valves, composed of natural tissue, typically do not require lifelong
blood thinners because the tissue used is naturally biocompatible. Typically,
tissue valves do not last as long as mechanical valves.
When deciding on the replacement valve type, surgeons and the valve recipient
must consider many factors such as the recipient's age, size and location of
the natural valve, condition of the heart, heart rhythm abnormalities, and
more.
Talk to your surgeon if you have questions about your valve choice.
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Mechanical Valves
The
St. Jude Medical® mechanical heart valve is the gold standard of
mechanical valves. Our valve is the most widely implanted heart valve in the
world. The valve has a ring that supports two leaflets, which open and close
like natural heart valve leaflets to regulate blood flow through the heart.
The leaflets and ring of the St. Jude Medical mechanical heart valve are made of
graphite and coated with pyrolytic carbon. A black substance much like a
diamond, pyrolytic carbon was chosen for the coating because of its hardness,
strength, durability, and because it is hard for blood components to stick to
the valve. The outer edge of the ring has a polyester (material) cuff that the
surgeon uses to sew the valve to the heart tissue surrounding the valve.
Because no two patients are the same size, St. Jude Medical mechanical heart
valves are available in different diameters to fit a variety of patient sizes.
Tissue Valves
A tissue valve, also known as a xenograft, is a natural tissue or biological
valve that has been taken from an animal heart. After the valve is removed, it
is treated to make the tissue stronger and prevent the recipient from rejecting
the tissue. A thin polyester mesh cuff is placed around the outside of the
valve to make it easier to sew the valve into the recipient's heart.
Some tissue valves have a frame, or stent, that supports the valve, and some
valves are stentless. This means that instead of the supporting frame, the
valve recipient's natural wall (aortic wall) acts as the stent.
Repair Products
Sometimes when repairing the annulus, it is necessary for the surgeon to implant
an annuloplasty ring. A ring is used to correct a problem, provide support for
the valve, and reinforce other repair techniques that were performed.
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Heart Valve
Replacement
Heart Valve Repair
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