St. Jude Mechanical Mitral Valve?!
Question:
St. Jude Mechanical Mitral Valve?
I have a St. Jude Mechanical Mitral Valve. Implanted in 2003. Was 37 at the time. I can't seem to find how long a mechanical valve life duration is. Maybe it depends upon the person, I am unsure. 10 years, 15 years, 30 years, or longer? I know they can last a long time and last longer than tissue valves. What are the chances that I will have to have another open heart surgery for mitral valve replacement? Everything is fine and going well, but if someone could supply some good websites or give me some insight into this I would greatly appreciate it. So many websites seem to differ about this. Thank you in advance.
Answers:
Wendy,
Here is a link to a page from St. Jude Medical. It lists the heart valves by serial number so you can find more information.
http://www.sjm.com/devices/modelnumbers....
This next link gives the information you are looking for. The answer as I understand it is 200+ years.
http://www.onevalveforlife.com/ovflconte...
Your friend,
Terry