On-X durability - feedback from On-X

[sensei Ade]

Folks,
I just wanted to address this nagging issue of On-X valve durability head on and actually ask them how long these valves last and how their durability is tested. Please see the reassuring response below.

All the best

Sensei




Thank you for your question. The carbon in the On-X valve will last more than 100 years in normal body pressures proven by laboratory testing. That is the same for all mechanical valves made from carbon.

Mechanical valves are at times removed from complications such as leaking, clotting or scar tissue. The On-X valve appears to have fewer of these complications based on clinical trials. These events occur at a very low rate.

Taking your anticoagulation medication as prescribed can help prevent reoperation. Home monitoring of INR has been shown to reduce complications by 50%. If you want further information about home monitoring, please let me know.

Discussing these issues with your physicians is recommended. We hope this answer is helpful.

We hope your recovery has been rapid and that you are feeling well.

 

[markp66]

Great info here. Im sure there will be lots of people on here in 50-60 years who still have their on x valves (hopefully me included!)

Also shows the importance of home testing. I'm not sure how it all works yet but does the nhs provide a home INR monitor? The reason I had my first tissue valve was mainly because I'd heard a lot of negativity towards warfarin. Home monitoring and careful knowledge about interactions with warfarin seem to eliminate many of the various issues I've read.

Anyway, great to think the on x and other valves can potentially stand the test of time!

 

[dtread]

The usual expectation is that a mechanical will last longer than the patient. Wear (friction) is practically non-existent. For an implanted medical device I consider them to be a modern miracle.

Regarding home testers in the U.S. if you're over 65 you can get them paid for by Medicare as Durable Medical Equipment (DME). For folks under 65, the U.S. health and medical plans have not generally picked them up for coverage as they have for Insulin Testers for folks with Diabetes, although the devices seem pretty similar functionally to me.

 

[Julian]

I know the odds are in our favor but I have a nagging worry that my On-X valve will suddenly break. Stupid fears!

 

[ElectLive]

Regarding home testers in the U.S. if you're over 65 you can get them paid for by Medicare as Durable Medical Equipment (DME). For folks under 65, the U.S. health and medical plans have not generally picked them up for coverage as they have for Insulin Testers for folks with Diabetes, although the devices seem pretty similar functionally to me.

I'm not on ACT, but if I were, I certainly would want home testing and my insurance company to cover it. In terms of minimizing long term complications, it is conceptually very similar to diabetes. However, in reality and through the eyes of the insurance companies, it is different. First, remote glucose monitoring is not possible for diabetics, as much as 6 to 8 glucose tests per day are usually necessary for tight control.

You may be referring more to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring sensors, though, which are more similar. Both new expensive technologies, previously not needed, that didn't have a track record of medical impact. At first, insurance coverage was either limited or non-existent. But that has changed, and coverage is much more widespread now for both.

Maybe one difference, though, is that diabetics have a pretty good short term evaluation tool for long term medical success. The Hemoglobin A1c test tells patients, doctors, and most importantly, insurance companies every 3 months just how well they've been controlled over time. When patients put on pumps and sensors started showing significant lowering of A!c, it clearly caused a shift in insurance coverage, since those improvements translate into reduced complications over time.

I'm assuming short term evaluation of the long term impact of home monitoring on INR control and complications rates is not so easy.

 

[ElectLive]

I know the odds are in our favor but I have a nagging worry that my On-X valve will suddenly break. Stupid fears!

I think we all probably have the failure fear at some point, mechanical and tissue valvers alike. Hard to put complete trust in anything that's not our own.

 

[ElectLive]

Folks,
I just wanted to address this nagging issue of On-X valve durability head on and actually ask them how long these valves last and how their durability is tested. Please see the reassuring response below.

... The carbon in the On-X valve will last more than 100 years in normal body pressures proven by laboratory testing...

My surgeon said this exactly - accelerated testing to 100 years at Georgia Tech.

 

[sensei Ade]

Hi Julian, it's normal to feel anxious, but rest assured that these valves are pretty tough things. You'd need a good sledge hammer to bust one of these guys . Take care.

Sensei

 

[sensei Ade]

Totally agreed!

I think we all probably have the failure fear at some point, mechanical and tissue valvers alike. Hard to put complete trust in anything that's not our own.

 

[Johan]

Yes... must admit that nagging feeling is always in the back of my mind. Does one ever get used to the idea of being kept alive by this artificial device? For me it is two years now and although living a full active life, not a day goes by without me thinking at least once of my valve and actually picturing it in my mind working away! Is that weird or what?