What is artificial heart valve?

An artificial heart valve, or prosthetic heart valve, is a device that replaces a natural heart valve that has been damaged or injured. To be implanted, it requires heart surgery.

Types of Heart Valves

There are four main valves:

• Mitral valve: It is responsible for allowing oxygen-rich blood coming from the lungs to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.
• Tricuspid valve: It controls the blood flow between the right atrium and the right ventricle.
• Aortic valve: It is the largest artery in the body and helps oxygen-rich blood pass from the left ventricle to the aorta.
• Pulmonary valve: Its function is to control the blood flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries for subsequent oxygenation.

Importance of Heart Valves

A heart valve is a structure of the heart responsible for regulating blood flow between its chambers and to the great vessels, ensuring that blood flows in only one direction.

When a valve becomes too narrow, a condition known as stenosis, or when it doesn’t close properly, which is called heart failure, it can affect the heart’s function and cause symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, and other serious conditions. In these latter cases, a heart operation may be necessary to perform a valve replacement to restore the heart’s normal function.

What Is the Function of Artificial Heart Valves?

The replacement of a valve with a prosthesis or artificial valve is indicated in patients whose symptoms are severe and significantly affect their quality of life, or in people whose lives are in danger from the condition they have, even if they don’t have major symptoms.

There are two types of prostheses when it comes to an artificial heart valve:

• Mechanical heart valves: These are made of various metals, plastics, or a combination of both. They last for 15 to 25 years.
• Biological heart valves: Tissues of human or animal origin are used in their manufacture. Their lifespan ranges from 10 to 12 years.

The operation to implant an artificial heart valve is called valve replacement and can be performed through open-heart surgery or through minimally invasive techniques like transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Open-heart surgery is performed with the patient under general anesthesia and through an incision in the chest that allows access to the heart.

Meanwhile, the TAVR technique introduces the valve through a catheter inserted into an artery, which is usually one in the leg. This valve is deployed inside the damaged valve and begins to function immediately.

The choice of both the type of operation and the type of artificial heart valve will depend on multiple factors, such as the patient’s age, their general health status, the type of valve affected, and the degree of valve damage.

Heart Operation Risks

In an operation for a heart valve replacement, as it is a delicate operation, there are various risks, such as:

• Sudden blockages in the valve or in another body area due to blood clots.
• Since they have to take anticoagulants permanently, the patient may experience serious hemorrhages.
• Infections that cause endocarditis, which can damage or block the prosthesis.
• Blockage or leakage due to the action of scar tissue.
• Hemolytic anemia due to damage to red blood cells.

Despite the risks that this operation can entail, it is a fundamental procedure when a heart valve is severely damaged, as it allows for the restoration of proper blood flow and improves heart function.

A defective valve can cause serious problems such as arrhythmias, heart failure, stroke, or even death. Valve replacement can relieve debilitating symptoms and significantly improve the patient’s quality of life.

Currently, valve replacement surgery is a procedure that has benefited many people, with benefits that far outweigh any potential risks.

At the Cardiovascular Surgery area at ABC Medical Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!

Fuentes: 

• Texas Heart
• Fundación del Corazón
• Mayo Clinic