Oh, and
@BGold
when chuck says this its not just "his impression"
Structural Valve Degeneration, referring to what eventually happens to biological prosthetic valves
This is a very well understood issue and is played down by surgeons who (really only look at 10 years out).
Abstract. Objectives: Reoperation is a relatively common event in patients with prosthetic heart valves, but its actual occurrence can vary widely from one pati
doi.org
Reoperation is a relatively common event in patients with prosthetic heart valves, but its actual occurrence can vary widely from one patient to another.
this is widely discussed in the literature AND in the surgical guidelines. Remember that while actual occurrence varies widely this means that the rates vary widely and there are well known and well understood parameters. These boil down to
your age at surgery.
If I had a dollar for every person who came here saying "I've not heard this before" I'd be independently supported financially.
something else to read:
Background There is an ever-growing number of patients requiring aortic valve replacement (AVR). Limited data is available on the long-term outcomes and structural integrity of bioprosthetic valves in younger patients undergoing surgical AVR. Methods The INSPIRIS RESILIA Durability Registry...
cardiothoracicsurgery.biomedcentral.com
The mechanisms are reasonably clear:
So its up to the patient to advocate for themselves when making an informed decision.
While walking that path, try not to read shills (like that Adam salesman) and to read actual data and (shock) try to believe what genuine patients on "blood thinners" say about the experience.
Try not to "hope" for things until you actually know. My lovely wife would always say "be careful what you ask for, you might just get it"
Best Wishes