Mitral valve replacement The choice of which valve type to use depends upon the patient's age, medical condition, preferences with medication, and lifestyle. New Developments (2014 -2017): Transcatheter mitral valve replacement or TMVR involves human heart mitral valve replacement without recourse to open-heart surgery. TMVR treats mitral valve stenosis and/or mitral valve regurgitation leading to mitral insufficiency. TMVR, initially developed by the company Tendyne (a subsidiary of Jean Boulle Medtech Ltd) for open-heart high risk patients is expected to replace traditional mitral valve replacement surgery in the longer term. The Tendyne mitral valve is placed inside a beating heart via a transcatheter at
Mitral valve replacement biological or mechanical valve. The left artium is then closed, and the patient weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. After surgery patients are typically taken to an intensive care unit (ICU). There are two primary types of artificial mitral valves: mechanical valves and bioprosthetic tissue (biological) valves. The mechanical valves are made from metal and pyrolytic carbon, and can last a lifetime. Patients with mechanical valves must take blood-thinning medications to prevent clotting. Bioprosthetic valves are made from animal tissues. Use of these biological valves allows patients to avoid blood thinners. However, the bioprosthetic valves may only last 10 to 15 years.