The heart is a pump with four chambers, 2 on each side. The right chambers pump blood to the lungs; the left chambers pump blood to the rest of the body. The valves are located between the chambers and keep the blood flowing forward.

Valve damage may be due to an abnormality of the valve that happened at birth, infection, or it may be a result of rheumatic fever as a child. The natural aging process can also cause the valve to deteriorate. Any of these conditions may result in the valve not opening freely, or not closing completely and allowing the blood to leak backwards. The most commonly affected valves are the mitral and aortic valves in the left chambers of the heart.

Patients with valve disease are often able to lead normal lives with carefully supervised medical care for many years. If the degree of valve damage becomes more severe, surgery is needed. In some cases involving the mitral valve, the surgeon may be able to repair your own valve. In other patients, the valve is so badly damaged that it must be replaced by an artificial valve. The final decision as to whether a mitral valve can be repaired is made at the time of surgery.

There are two types of artificial heart valves, tissue valves and mechanical valves. Your cardiac nurse and your physician will discuss with you the differences between the valves and which factors should be considered in choosing the type of valve. In general, mechanical valves are made of a hard, durable carbon material. These valves have the advantage of durability because of the strong material used in their construction, but there is a chance of blood clots forming in the valve. If this occurs, you will need to take a blood thinner, such as Coumadin. This will slow the blood clotting process and you will be required to take this medication for the rest of your life. These valves also make a soft “clicking” sound that is not loud or bothersome.

Tissue valves are usually valves taken from pigs or cows. They are treated with chemicals to toughen and preserve them. However, they are not living tissue and may wear out gradually over the years. The chemical treatment makes these valves tolerated by the human body. They are also silent and do not require strong blood thinners such as Coumadin. Aspirin is often prescribed as a very mild blood thinner. In certain cases, a frozen human valve may be used.