9 ms·
fwiw, biological heart valves, as opposed to metallic valves, are already quite commonly used today. biological ones are typically made from either cows, or pi
by signa11 1y ago
fwiw, biological heart valves, as opposed to metallic valves, are already quite commonly used today.
biological ones are typically made from either cows, or pigs (bovine, porcine respectively).
but this is on another level altogether.
- philiplu 1y agoI had heart surgery 2 months ago to repair my mitral valve. In the lead-up to that, I had to make a decision what to do if it turned out replacement was needed instead of repair. Choices were metallic valves requiring me to be on warfarin the rest of my life or pig-derived valves. I chose the latter, mostly to avoid warfarin for life, but also because my surgeon was a PhD for work on creating biological-derived valves that didn’t trigger the immune system. Just mind-blowing what can be done. But I’m glad repair and not replacement worked out - and I now have GoreTex fibers attached to my valve.
- ACCount37 1y agoGoreTex being the brand of a material that was put into your heart sure sounds amusing.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y agoAt heart, he's a GoreTex™ guy. I'll just get my coat...
- philiplu 1y agoI’ll have to remember that one
- ggm 1y ago> I'll just get my coat And what fabric is that coat made of?
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y agoSheepskin (the “I’ll get my coat” reference is from The Register).
- mkl 1y agohttps://theregister.com https://theregister.com? It's much older than that.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y agoI am not surprised, but that's where I learned it.
- wombatpm 1y agoPig and cow valves will calcify and fail eventually. But it’s a slow process so you have time to plan and make decisions for replacement. Mechanical values are great until one day the clicking sound stops and you need to get to a hospital ASAP. Back in the 90’s there were a series of values where the flipping plate shattered-sending shrapnel into the heart and beyond. Typical failure mode is stuck open which is survivable. Stuck closed is very bad.
- 0x1ceb00da 1y agoBut why cows and pigs and not chimps?
- padjo 1y agoPresumably because we already farm pigs and cows so there’s a supply chain and the ethics are ok in most people’s heads.
- signa11 1y agomost likely because their (heart) valve anatomy is similar to humans ? this is just a guess btw.
- thyristan 1y agoSize. Pig hearts are the same size as human hearts, cow hearts are larger, so easier to cut up for parts. Chimp hearts are usually smaller. Also, the risk of transmitting zoonosis is larger in primates than in other mammals, because with humans being primates as well, more viruses/prions/fungi might be infectious to both.