Mechanical Valve Noise

While at Cardiac Reb for therapy due to a biological valve replacement, the supervisor was mentioning that some people with mechanical valve replacments in lieu of a biological valve, have experience constant noise or clicking from their valve. Some people expressed that it really disturbs their sleep or when being quiet to read. Has anyone here experienced this?  My tricuspiod valve was torn during Pacemaker lead removal and had to be replaced.  Note: Biologic valves have a 10 year life span and do not require being on a blood thinner. Mechanical valves last a lifetime but require being on blood thinner all the time. So these factors are a consideration when choosing which valve to get.

3 Comments

Don't forget..

by USMC-Pacer - 2024-06-07 09:04:42

If you choose a mechanical valve, it is an open heart surgery with clicking and blood thinners. It "MAY" last a lifetime. If something goes wrong, it is another open heart surgery. I had my first Aortic valve replaced in 2007 with a tissue valve and it lasted 16 years! Last year, I opted for the TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) which they do via your femoral artery. These valves are thought to last longer than the older models and when the time comes they can do a TAVR in TAVR without the need for open heart surgery. Just some thoughts...

Less invaasive

by Figallegro - 2024-06-07 20:52:51

Thanks for your comments USMC-Pacer. I considered transcatheter replacement, but opted for less invsaisve procedure where they go though the side rib cage and another small incisionmid chest. 

Mechanical valves *are* noisy

by crustyg - 2024-06-10 13:29:37

Or at least the old ones used to be.  With good hearing and in a quiet ward we students could hear a gentle click from the end of the bed back in the day.

A colleague of mine, about my age, chose a biological valve specifically to avoid the challenge of anti-coag therapy (which I'm sure you know cannot be the novel oral anticoags like Apixaban etc.).  The noise: it's like tinnitus - you only hear it when you focus on it.  People around you are more likely to notice it than you, after a month or so.

But opting for an op every 10years or so is a big commitment.

It's a very personal choice.

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