Question

Write a short paragraph (50-100 words) about artificial valves that incorporates all of the following terms: (1) mechanical prosthetic valve, (2) bioprosthesis, (3) homograft, (4) heterograft

Answer 1

Types of Heart valves:

1. Mechanical Prosthetic valves: Classified into a. Ball valves, b. Disc valves, c. Bileaflet valves

Mechanical prosthetic valves requires long term anticoagulant treatment

2. Biological Heart valves (Bioprosthetic valves): These are further classified into a. Homograft and b. Heterograft. These do not require the long term anticoagulant treatment. Homograft refers to the valve which is transplanted from a human donor while Heterograft (Xenograft) refers to the valve which is transplanted from another species such as pig, or manufactured from tissues like bovine pericardium

3. Tissue Engineered Heart Valves

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Other information: As the question is asked about 50-100 words above is the short paragraph, and here is the other infomation which might be useful

Artficial Heart valve refers to the device which is implanted in the heart of a patient suffering from valvular heart disease. These are implanted into the heart by open heart surgery. Prosthetic Heart valve replacement was first initially demonstrated by Starr and Edward's in 1961

Mechanical prosthetic valves: Consists of Ball valves which are made of silastic ball and sewing ring. Disc valves which are made of single graphite disc coated with pyrolite carbon that tilts between stainless steel or titanium. Bileaflet valves which has two semicircular leaflets and two peripheral orifices

In biological valves there are also autologous valves which are prepared from the patient's fascia lata even though it is not being practised now.

Mitral valvotomy and repair of mitral valve in case of mitral stenosis or prolapse of mitral reduces the need of heart valve replacement since heart valve replacement is more risky procedure, requires long term anticoagulant treatment, involve complications and risk of endocarditis

Factors to be considered during heart valve replacement are durability, thromobogenicity, hemodynamic performance, implantability, patient age, lifestyle, Comorbidities etc