Valves are the flappy doors of the heart also called the cusp or leaflets. The shape of the valves is generally like a half-moon. Generally, four valves are there in a human heart such as bicuspid and tricuspid, mitral, aortic and pulmonary valves. When the right time arrives the pressure on these valves get changed and make the valves open like a flap and during other times the valves stay close and prevent the backflow of the blood. Blood in the heart flows in one way and the valves play a key role in maintaining this proper blood flow. Even a mild damage in the valve may cause a severe problem in the heart.

Valve replacement is done where repair of the valve is not possible. Valve repair is performed in those cases where the problem was there since birth. Damage appeared in the valve, later on, cannot be fixed by repair and it must be replaced. Doctors perform the valve replacement surgery when they observe that the problem is life-threatening. The valves that will be in the place after replacement may be of two types –

Mechanical Valves:  This type of valve is usually made up of carbon, metal or plastic. These are very strong and the lasting capacity is very high. But the patient who has replaced their valve with the mechanical one must take anticoagulants for their lifetime. Because the blood may get stick to the mechanical valve and create a clot which can block the way of blood flow. Anticoagulants do not let the blood make a clot and keep the blood flow normally. The valve replacement cost in India depends highly on the material you are using for replacement.

Biological Valves:  From the name, it is clear that this valve is not something artificial. It is made up of animal tissue by grafting called xenograft. When it is taken from any donated heart it is called homograft or allograft and when it is made with the patient’s own body tissues it is called autograft. Patients having this replacement do not have to take anticoagulants because there is no chance that the blood makes a clot. But this type of valve is not really strong as a mechanical valve and needs to be changed after some years. As young hearts put a lot of pressure on the valves, these valves are not used in any children or young adult patients. Elderly persons are more suitable for these valves.

This surgery has a high record of success. Make sure you tell your doctors everything about your medical history. Before the surgery, the surgeon may keep you under observation for some days and during these days you will not be allowed to smoke or drink or take any type of other drugs. Smoking and drinking before surgery can cause many complications like blood clotting, breathing problems during the surgery and the recovery time. People with the biological valve may need to undergo another replacement surgery after some years. Otherwise, the rate of re-surgery in case of mechanical valves is really low.