• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Patient Stories
  • Dr. Insights for Patients
  • Resources
  • FAQ
  • Contact

Heart Valve Choice

Aortic Stenosis & Heart Valve Replacement Info


Find a Surgeon
  • Aortic Valve Replacement
  • Mitral Valve Replacement and Repair
  • Mechanical vs. Tissue

Mitral Valve Replacement and Repair


Mitral Heart Valve Replacement Options

Mitral heart valves can be surgically replaced with prosthetic or manufactured heart valves. There are two types of prosthetic heart valves, tissue valves and mechanical valves.

Tissue valves are not as durable as mechanical valves and have a tendency to wear out and require replacement especially for patients younger than 65 years old.1 Some mitral tissue valves have begun to fail as early as 4 years after implant.1 The gradual degradation of tissue valves can cause symptoms to return several years prior to a reoperation to replace the failed valve.

Mischel_PatientThumb_200x300

Watch Mischel’s On-X Mitral Valve Journey Here

Watch Video

All mechanical valve patients require anticoagulation therapy with the blood thinner warfarin, which creates a risk of bleeding.2 Tissue valve patients usually do not require long-term therapy,3 however, up to 1/3 of patients with a tissue valve require blood thinner for other heart or vascular conditions.4  Even though anticoagulation is not prescribed for all tissue valve patients, there is still a similar risk for complications as there is for properly anticoagulated mechanical valve patients.5

The American Heart Association provides guidelines of treatment options for patients with heart disease. These guidelines3 provide the following recommendation for mitral prosthetic valve selection based on patient age:

Valve Type Patient Age (years)
<50 50-70 >70
Mechanical preferred option* reasonable option*
Tissue reasonable option^ preferred option^

*Unless anticoagulation is not desired, cannot be managed, or is contraindicated.
^A tissue valve is recommended for “any age [patient] for whom anticoagulant therapy is contraindicated, cannot be managed appropriately, or is not desired.”

 

Shared Decision: The choice of the type of heart valve a patient receives is a shared decision among the patient and his or her doctor.

On-X Mitral Valve


If you are under the age of 70 years and need a mitral valve replacement, ask your doctor about the On-X Mitral Valve.

Mitral Valve Repair


In many cases, diseased mitral valves can be repaired rather than replaced.3 In mitral valve repair, most of the original valve tissue is spared. The structure surrounding the valve is surgically supported and repaired in a way that fixes the shape and function of the valve. Only a heart surgeon can determine if a mitral valve is in good enough condition that it can be repaired rather than replaced.

MichaleMarranca_PatientThumb_200x300

Hear Why A Senior Physician Assistant At The Mayo Clinic Chose On-X Heart Valves For His Double Valve Replacement

Watch Video

Minimally Invasive Surgery Options


There are minimally invasive surgical techniques for mitral valve repair and for implanting heart valves, including the On-X Mitral Valve. Ask your doctor if you are a candidate to receive an On-X Mitral Valve with minimally invasive surgery.

MLENG1251.000 (04/2018)

References

  1. Kaneko T, Aranki S, Javed Q, et al. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2014; 147:117-126.
  2. van Geldorp M et al., J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009;137:881-6.
  3. Nishimura R et al., Circulation. 2017;135:e1159-95.
  4. Briffa N and Chambers J. Circulation. 2017;135:1101–3.
  5. Nishimura R et al., Circulation. 2014;129:e521-643.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest inspiring patient stories.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

We hate spam as much as you do and promise to keep your email address safe. You can always unsubscribe.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our mailing list

On-X Aortic Valve Patient Info Pamphlet - MLENG1101.000

Download our Patient Information Pamphlet.

Download Now

For Technical and General Inquiries Call

(888) 571-9989

Patient Guide

  • Aortic Valve Replacement
  • Mitral Valve Replacement and Repair
  • Heart Valve Disease

Patient Stories

Josh Dunn

Josh Dunn

Mike Aronson

Mike Aronson

Fred Hoiberg

Patient Stories: Bob Smith

Bob Smith

Patient Stories: Jack Reed hiking

Jack Reed

Patient Stories: Ron Stuart

Ron Stuart

Sitemap | Safety & Use

On-X Life Technologies, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CryoLife, Inc. The On-X Prosthetic Heart Valves are manufactured by On-X Life Technologies, Inc. CryoLife, the snowflake design, Life Restoring Technologies, and On-X are registered trademarks owned by CryoLife, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other registered trademarks are owned by their respective owners. © 2017 CryoLife, Inc. All rights reserved.