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Dr. Gammie’s Bio | Q&A Archive
Maryland Heart Center surgeons will first recommend the repair of the valve instead of replacement. If a patient is not a good candidate for mitral valve repair, our surgeons are experienced performing mitral valve replacement with several varieties of artificial valves including mechanical (metal) valves and tissue valves.
There are two primary types of artificial mitral valves -- a metal valve and a tissue valve. The metal valve lasts a lifetime, and with this valve, patients are required to take blood-thinning medications to prevent clotting. The tissue valve does not require a patient to take blood thinners, but it will last only 10 to 15 years.
Difficult patient cases are presented at the Heart Center's multidisciplinary valvular heart disease conference. This conference brings together University of Maryland Heart Center physicians with expertise in cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, cardiology, pathology, and radiology. With this team approach, management plans are optimized for all varieties of complex heart valve disease.
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