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 ...

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 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 ...

When parts of the heart, such as the valves, do not work properly, it is possible to repair or replace them. The aortic and mitral valves are the ones that surgeons most commonly replace. Most valve ...

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 ...