Prosthetic Valves

Natural heart valves are an important part of the human heart and its ability to perform basic functions. Each heart has four valves, including the aortic valve, mitral valve, pulmonic valve, and tricuspid valve.

When one of the valves is not working correctly, it can cause a number of problems for a person. Therefore, if one or two of the heart valves need to be replaced, a surgery can be done that requires the use of prosthetic valves.

To replace the damages heart valves with prosthetic valves, a surgeon will perform open heart surgery, which is a procedure to treat or correct different types of heart disease. In addition to open heart surgery, there are a variety of closed heart and beating-heart surgeries.

There are two main types of prosthetic valves for the heart: mechanical and biological. However, biological heart valves are technically more of a replacement valve than an artificial one.

Prosthetic valves that are mechanical are designed to fill the natural functions of the heart. Though the major function of prosthetic valves is to maintain the flow of blood to and from the heart, as a natural valve would, there are several other purposes that prosthetic valves serve.

Prosthetic valves must be able to minimize the amount of blood that is lost as the valve closes, provide resistance to restrict the flow, prevent the formation of bacteria inside the valves, and be as self-repairing as possible. With these advantages, prosthetic heart valves are as realistic as current technology will allow.

As with any type of prosthetic, there are concerns when designing prosthetic valves. When creating the design for prosthetic valves, the mechanisms and valve-tissue interaction must work as naturally as possible. Additionally, prosthetic valves must be able to maintain some wear, prevent potential blockage, minimize leakage, and offer dynamic responsiveness.