What are the different types of prosthetic valves?
Prosthetic valves are usually implanted by open heart surgery. They allow surgeons to restore regular blood flow in the heart after the valve was damaged due to illness. Surgery of valve replacement is often done when a person has a blockage that prevents blood flow to one chamber of the heart from the other. Blood sometimes also flows backwards, which often requires the problem to replace the surgery of the valve replacement. There are different types of these prosthetic valves that can be made of biological tissues or mechanical components.
The mechanical device implanted during surgery The replacement of the prosthetic valve can be in various forms. One type is a ball in a cage that was the first type that was implanted in humans. Usually it has a silicon ball that moves inside a metal cage in response to blood pressure. After the heart contraction, the ball normally moves back to close the valve. The product often causes blood clotting and high doses that prevent these problems are usually necessaryE.
Prosthetic valves of the tilting disk usually have a circular mechanism called Okluder, which is controlled by a metal strut. The metal disk usually opens and closes the valve to allow the heart to pump blood from one chamber to another. Another type is the Bileaflet valve, which has two parts that usually rotate around the device struts. People who have implanted prosthetic valves often require fewer anticoagulation drugs; The device generally responds to blood flow.
Mechanical prosthetic valves are usually reliable and can also take a long time. Most of them can operate over 30 years. However, the biological valve usually lasts anywhere from 12 to 15 years, but usually does not require the patient to be on anticoagulant drugs. Such a device can be made of tissue from animals such as as pigs or cows, or are made of other tissues such as pericardium, a layer of cells that surround the heart.Sometimes human valves are maintained to be implanted in patients.
Prosthetic valves constructed from artificial materials are usually difficult to monitor with common tests such as ultrasound, while biological are visible in this way. Other tests performed for valve monitoring include a special type of echocardiogram, as well as color techniques or spectral imaging. Regular monitoring is usually necessary if the prosthetic repair of the valve is required and to avoid the dangerous consequences of the device problem.