Mitral valve replacement: percent using bioprosthetic valves

Bioprosthetic valves are replacement heart valves made out of tissue. The other type of replacement heart valve is a mechanical valve.  It is considered an isolated mitral valve replacement when it is not done in conjunction with any other surgeries.

Though there are pros and cons to both types of valves, bioprosthetic valves are typically preferred over mechanical valves because mechanical valves require patients to take blood thinners for the rest of their lives.  Taking blood thinners may result in lifestyle modifications such as sports or activity restrictions and dietary constraints.
 

About this measure

This measure tracks the percentage of isolated mitral valve replacement patients who had their valve replaced with a bioprosthetic valve in 2011. The second graph shows a trend over time for this measure.
 

Note: In this case, a higher number is better.