Mechanical Heart Valve

durability Mechanical heart valves can last indefinitely (tested over 50,000 years in an accelerated tester)
types Caged-ball valve
Tilting-disc valves
Bileaflet heart valves
materials Carbon, titanium, titanium coated with pyrolytic carbon, Teflon (PTFE), polyester, dacron
side effects Mechanical heart valves require lifelong treatment with blood thinners (anticoagulants) and periodically blood tests to monitor.
adverse effects Blood clotting, thrombus formation.