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Prosthetic heart valve

A prosthetic heart valve is an artificial valve, made of plastic, metal, or pig tissue, that is surgically implanted to replace a person's original heart valve. A person's heart valve may need to be replaced if it no longer works properly because of a birth defect or because of damage caused by a disease process or aging.

When a person has a prosthetic heart valve, he or she may need to take anticoagulants to prevent blood clots and may need to take antibiotics before certain procedures to prevent infection.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer George Philippides, MD - Cardiology
Last Revised February 12, 2010

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: 2/, 010
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