A prosthetic heart valve is an artificial valve, made of plastic,
metal, or pig tissue, that is surgically implanted to replace a person's
original heart valve. A person's heart valve may need to be replaced if it no
longer works properly because of a birth defect or because of damage caused by
a disease process or aging.
When a person has a prosthetic heart valve, he or she may need to
take anticoagulants to prevent blood clots and may need to take antibiotics
before certain procedures to prevent infection.
