Surgeons can replace a defective heart valve with a mechanical valve.
Heart valves act as small gateways that regulate within your heart. When a person has a defective heart valve, doctors can replace the valve with one made of animal tissue or a mechanical valve made of synthetic material.
Types of Mechanical Valves
Mechanical heart valves usually fall into one of two categories. The first kind manufactured is a ball-and-cage mechanism, in which blood flow is controlled by a rubber ball that oscillates within a metal cage. The second, and now more common, type is a tilting disc that move on a hinge or wires.
