A friend of mine is having open-heart surgery next week to replace a heart valve. He needs to decide whether he wants a mechanical valve or a biological one. He is 28 years old. Which would you choose and why?
Ask the surgeon which would be most appropriate in,If you trust your surgeon let him make the decision if you don't get a different surgeon.
Always a tough call. You might want to see if you can find a copy of Lewis Grizzard's book, They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat, which was about both his aortic valve and his ex-wives. Unfortunately, he died from surgical complications with I think his third valve replacement, but you needn't tell your friend that part.
Well one of the draw backs to a mechancial valve would be that your friend would have to be on blood thinners for life. Biological, you would worry about rejection. But, you would worry about rejection with the mechanical also. Depends on what type of after care he/she is willing to put up with. I would probably choose the mechanical.
The answer depends on many things. Which valve? Why is it being replaced? Overall, mechanical valves last longer, typically 20-30 years. The tissue valves tend to last 15-20. There are risks and benefits to each, such as closure efficiency, infection rates, and other types of failure etc. If it were me, I'd go with a mechanical valve. However, he really, really needs to talk seriously with his doc before deciding. The doc will give answers in context to his unique situation. That is something we cannot do on this site, simply because we do not know him or his medical history. Best of luck.
