Question: How does a heart valve replacement work?

Claire Brougham answered on 6 Mar 2017:

So, the four heart valves in your body work like gates. They open and close to let blood through the different chambers in your heart. The last one, the aortic valve, when it opens it pushes the blood into your arteries and then your blood flows around your body. If they don’t work like they should, then your heart has to pump harder than it should to get that blood around your body. Replacement valves work in exactly the same way. The ones that are put in children’s hearts are usually made from metal and they work really well. The only thing is, they can’t grow as the child grows. I am trying to make a new valve that could grow!