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How Long Can My Cow Valve Replacement Last?

Written By: Allison DeMajistre, BSN, RN, CCRN
Medical Expert: Marc Gillinov, MD, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Reviewed By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: August 18, 2026

Valve durability is one of the most important factors when patients choose between a mechanical valve and a tissue valve made from cow or pig tissue. Mechanical valves are more durable but they can cause blood clots and require lifelong anticoagulant therapy. Tissue valves generally will not require blood thinners. However, they can wear out and require another surgery or a transcatheter procedure after several years.

We received a question about the durability of heart valves from Sandy Gilbert, a member of the HeartValveSurgery.com community. Sandy asked, “I celebrated 16 years with my pericardial (cow) tissue valve implanted by Dr. Marc Gillinov. I’m back in the Cleveland Clinic for a lung issue and they also checked out my valve. They have found the valve is working with no issues. Is this usual, and how long can it last?”

We were thrilled to receive this question because our founder, Adam Pick, was meeting with Dr. Marc Gillinov at the Annual Conference for the American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS) in Chicago, Illinois. While at AATS, Adam asked Dr. Gillinov the question from his patient. As you may know, Dr. Gillinov is the Chairman of Cardiac Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the most celebrated surgeons in our community.

Facts About Cow Valve Durability

Here are the key insights shared by Dr. Gillinov:

Sandy’s valve success shows what he can look forward to. “First of all, Sandy, stop by and say hello if you’re in Cleveland,” said Dr. Gillinov. “Secondly, that’s a great run with an aortic valve replacement. A bovine pericardial valve, meaning it is cow pericardium, at 16 years, is not unusual. I’ve seen them last up to 22 years. And the longer they last, the better off you are, meaning if you’ve made it 16 years, you have a good shot at 20 years.”
Sandy’s valve is a good example for others like him. Dr. Gillinov explained that Sandy’s success is one reason why he believes people in their 60s should consider this type of replacement. “You may get 20 years out of it, so it’s not unusual. A great run.”

Thanks Dr. Gillinov and Cleveland Clinic!

On behalf of all the patients in our community, thank you, Dr. Marc Gillinov, for everything you and your team are doing at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio!

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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Video Transcript:

Adam Pick: Hi, everybody. It's Adam with HeartValveSurgery.com, and we're at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Conference in Chicago, Illinois. I'm thrilled to be joined by Dr. Marc Gillinov, who is the chairman of cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Gillinov, it is great to see you again, and thanks for being with me today.

Dr. Marc Gillinov: Thank you.

Adam Pick: Yeah, so we're here at AATS. Lot of new research coming out. We're learning a lot about valvular disease. We're also getting questions from patients at HeartValveSurgery.com. One of them is your patient. This comes in from Sandy Gilbert, all about heart valve durability. The question is, "Hi, Adam. I celebrated 16 years with my pericardial tissue valve implanted by Dr. Gillinov. I'm back in Cleveland Clinic for a lung issue, and they also checked out my valve. They found it is working with no issues. Is this unusual, and how long can it last?"

Dr. Marc Gillinov: Well, Sandy, first of all, stop by and say hello if you're in Cleveland. Secondly, that's a great run with an aortic valve replacement. A bovine pericardial valve, meaning it's cow pericardium, at 16 years is not unusual. I've seen them last up to 22 years. And the longer they last, the better off you are, meaning if you have made 16 years, you've got a good shot at 20 years.

And this is one of the reasons that we think in people who are in their 60s, you should consider this, this particular surgical valve as a first step because you may get 20 years out of it. Um, so not unusual. A great run.

Adam Pick: Well, Sandy, let's hope that run continues. And Dr. Gillinov, on behalf of Sandy and all the patients in our community, thanks so much to you and your team at the Cleveland Clinic for all the great work you're doing.

Thanks for being with me today.

Dr. Marc Gillinov: Thank you.

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