Mechanical Heart Valve Replacements: An Introduction

In this video, Dr. Aqeel Sandhu, the Surgical Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine (Northwest Region), provides patients a current overview of the use of mechanical heart valve replacements for the treatment of valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral stenosis. Dr. Sandhu addresses common patient questions specific to when a mechanical valve replacement is used, the type of materials used to make mechanical heart valve replacements, device durability, comparisons to tissue valve replacements and new clinical trials evaluating heart valve replacements that do not require warfarin as a anticoagulant (blood thinner). (Video posted on June 17, 2021)