Mechanical heart valves create high pregnancy risk

Dr. Hossein Almassi, FCCP, comments: One of the toughest decisions in valvular heart surgery is the selection of a valve prosthesis for a young female. Historically, age has been the major deciding factor in selecting a mechanical valve over a tissue valve. The current report is a testament to this difficulty, showing a lack of a standardized anticoagulation regimen and a much higher rate of pregnancy loss and complications with mechanical heart valves. Availability of transcatheter valve technology may make the tissue valves more attractive for this group of patients. Clearly, the care for these women would be best provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists.

Dr. Almassi specializes in cardiothoracic surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.