Artificial valves last roughly 10 years, typically. Sometimes more. You have to take antibiotics at the slightest sign of any infection, to avoid infectious set

Artificial valves last roughly 10 years, typically. Sometimes more. You have to take antibiotics at the slightest sign of any infection, to avoid infectious settlement of the valve. A family member got a "tissue engineered" valve a few years ago, so the cells (from a human valve, salvaged from the recipient of a heart transplant) were removed, and can be colonized by body cells, very mild to non-existent rejection. This seems to be a permanent solution.