Fidel Martínez Ruiz  Hey Melinda. The metal used to suture commonly is 316 L stainless steel, which has been used for many decades in orthopaedic implants for hip, knee and other joints and continue being used today without problems. Few people present allergy to that steel, above all the nickel sensitive, and in that case, titanium wire is used instead. I come up with the idea of a way to know the own allergy and It is to be aware if one is allergic to jewelry or other pendants, many of them made of stailess steel. Best regards.

Melinda Donahue  Thanks so much !!! I thought about it much of the night - and then gratefully woke up to your response.

Marie Myers  A lot of us were a mess when we found out we needed surgery, so don’t feel alone! And you have already been through it once, so you have been through a lot already. Keep in mind that these talented and trained heart surgeons do this every day, and the odds are in your favor!  I did a lot of listening to calming meditations in my preop waiting time. I did eventually ask my doctor for something to help me sleep, and that helped me a lot. Just take one day at a time, and try not to let your mind run wild with worry. It is hard, but it will help you in the long term. Keep us posted!

Maureen Hoganson  Hi Kimberly - I am so sorry to hear about your allergies/sensitivies! That is good that they were able to check them! I have so many food allergies/chemical sensitivities, so understand how frustrating that can be! I just had the Ross Procedure done at Vanderbilt University (one month ago) -- and hoping I don't have any issues with the materials used! I think it is mostly titanium and steel though...  Hoping I won't need any more surgeries, but was told they could do TAVR for either the aortic or pulmonary valve -- but I will have to check into the nickel if it ever comes to that! Seems crazy that they would use that with the # of folks who have metal allergies. Praying you are able to find a suitable solution and that you get a good plan in place! My prosthetic valve was severaly compromised, so we had to move forward right away!
Continued prayers! And Happy Birthday to your son!

Melinda Donahue  Oh no!!! How did you find out you were allergic to nickel? Aren’t there any other metals that are used ?

Kimberly Eisenhut  Maureen,
 Most of the devices ar a nitinol (nickel/titanium). I am not allergic to titanium, but the nickel can possibly leach I guess. The manufaturer actually says if you read your specific device that ifyou have a nickel allergy it is contraindicated in using the device. You can look up the exact ingredients in your device to find out. I am just surprised that everyone is not tested for metal allergies before any inplanted device for anything, not just heart valves. The allergies to componants can cause adverse reactions and complications after, whether it shows up in a few days or months. Not to wory anyone, but it is just good practice for Drs and Surgeons to be proactive before implanting these things. I also know a lot of people allergic to nickel. I am glad I did not have the knee replacement they wanted me to have last year because when I looked into it, I realised that they also use a lot of the same things. My mother did great with her two knee replacements, but she has no skin allergies.
There really are not any other devices that can be used that are FDA approved or other trials at this time for nickel free options that I can find. I will find out Monday what they are thinking for my situation, maybe open heart repair? 
Melinda, 

"Patch Testing" is from either an allergist or dermotologist that does it, is how you find out things you are allegic to. I just had it done because I mentioned it in MyChart and saw the trial they wanted me to get into had a device with nitinol in it, so asked for testing.
I have known I had allergies to nickel from my teen years whenever I would wear costume jewelry or even higher end jewelry, as so many things contain nickel. I was not given any testing back then, but family Dr saifd that was what it was. Thosw were the days when your family Dr would diagnose you and not always send you to a million specialists. I had a platinum wedding ring when I was married (divorced for 14 years now) and have been able to find other jewelry like rings and make my own earrings from surgical steel hooks (even those can contain a little nickel, but I never wear earrings overnight). The surprising thing is that the testing found a much stronger allergy to gold (Goldsodiumthiosulfate, found in electronics, ceramics, dental and jewelry) and something called pottasium dicyanoaurate (found in dental fillings, jewelry and electronics) Most of the devices for valve replacements have some form of nickel, which I am less allergic to, but did show a mild reaction at one week follow up after patch testing (delayed reaction). 

Marie Myers  Because Nitinol (a titanium/nickel alloy) is used in medical devices due to its  shape memory and super-elasticity. This makes it useful for flexible and self expanding devices. I have been married to an engineer long enough to know “Never question the engineer”.. They always have a reason!

Melinda Donahue  Sharon you made me burst out crying. I am so happy you answered. God bless you and am so happy you are well. Scared to death. They had a cancellation. Appointment change July 16.