The heart valves play a vital role in ensuring blood flows correctly through the heart and the rest of the body. If they do not function correctly, a person may require surgery to replace the damaged ...

Pig heart valves used to replace defective aortic valves in human patients failed much earlier and more often than expected, says a report from cardiac surgeons at Washington University School of ...

Valvular heart disease is a form of heart disease that occurs when one or more of the heart’s four valves don’t function properly. Valve replacement surgery may be an option if the valves of your ...

Your heart has four valves, which keep your blood flowing in the right direction. If one doesn’t work correctly, it can put you at higher risk for stroke or congestive heart failure. More than 182,000 ...

In replacement aortic valve procedures, bioprosthetic valves have become increasingly more common than mechanical replacements, since those made out of animal tissue are less likely to cause blood ...

AMES, Iowa – You’re in the middle of the aorta, the body’s pipeline for oxygen-rich blood, looking back toward the heart’s primary pump, the left ventricle. The ventricle muscle contracts and the ...

Earlier this year, when leaks around Louise Calhoun’s replacement mitral heart valve kept her from walking more than a few feet before needing to rest, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ...

During heart valve replacement surgery, a surgeon replaces damaged or diseased valves in the heart. They can replace it with a mechanical valve or biological valve from a pig or cow. A person with ...

In general, mechanical valves tend to last longer than tissue valves, but patients who receive them have an increased risk of blood clots and must take anticoagulants. "After valve replacement surgery ...