Mechnical MVR

[rify19]

my sister having age of 25 years facing mvr problems, and recently i got her under the treatment of mechnical MVR. should this good decisions or not and an other question is that either she enjoy pregancy or not. and how long last this mechnical Valve.
and also tell me the after Mechnical MVR pre measure to safe her

[laujac]

I had a mechanical valve 25 years ago at age 37...having it replaced Feb. 8 and also an aortic valve aneurysm repaired. Coumadin has been an issue ...can't get the INR regulated. I am thinking about having a tissue valve this time to be off coumadin. The valve I have now has calcium buildup. I know the tissue valve lifespan is 10-15 years. Hopefully by time there will be a less invasive way of replacing the valve. I am on the fence trying to make a decision and time is running out. Good luck to your sister.

[ed34]

when put into accelerated valve wear testing machines, they can last the equivalent of 50,000 years which is ample time for the average human lifespan. It requires anti-coagulant medication to keep running in good order.
As for pregnancy, mechanical valves do greatly raise the risk of fetal problems, such as still births. The culprit is believed to be the anti-coagulant (warfarin) which crosses the placenta barrier. Trials are trying to establish if dosage could be the answer. Heparin was tried instead of warfarin but this caused the valves to have problems and valve replacement was necessary in many cases, some even fatal.