Advantages

Artificial Heart Valves

Have significantly low regurgitation over the full range of physiological heart function
Eg: absolute functional envelope of cardiac output vs heart rate
Transvalvular pressure gradient is considerably small
Non or minimally thrombogenic

Different materials has different properties that need to be adapt into human environment. Click on the related subtopic to know more:
Polymer based scaffolds tissue-engineered heart valve
Natural tissue-engineered heart valve
Mechanical artificial heart valve

Polymer Based Scaffolds Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve

Consist a matrix which used to construct neotissue, which:

Trileaflet polymeric heart valve

Polymeric heart valve fabricated from polyurethane/polysiliconeurethane

Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve
Tissue-engineered heart valve used polyesters

Molecular structure of polylactic acid (left) and polyglycolic acid (right)

Tissue-engineered heart valve used thermoplastic polyesters

Can be isolated from naturally occurring bacteria or synthesized in the laboratory
Biocompatible
Biomechanical profile more closely resembled the native heart valve
Improved function

Molecular structure of polyhydroxyalkanoate

Tissue-engineered heart valve used polyhydroxyoctanoate

Tissue-engineered heart valve used poly-4-hydroxybutyrate

Molecular structure of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate

More biocompatible and less immunogenic
Suitable for women who desire pregnancy and in patients older than 70 years
A low risk of thromboembolism
Only a small amount of blood thinner is needed to be taken by the patient to avoid clotting of the blood
Blood-thinning drugs are needed only for the first few months after surgery
The patient does not required to use Coumadin after surgery
The bileaflet valves have greater effective opening area
The valves do not click

Tissue-engineered heart valve generated from human marrow stromal cells

A typical porcine heart valve

Tissue-engineered heart valve using xeno- or allograft matrices (composed of valves devoid of cells with preservation of the extracellular matrix):
Help to maintain the valve's structural components
Biomechanical profile is maintained
A readily available and abundant scaffold material is obtained
Tissue-engineered heart valve using autologous cells:
Prevent immunological reaction that could cause rejection
Practicable due to endothelial cells and myofibroblasts enthusiastically developed in culture
Potential to bank autologous pluripotent cells which is significant in bringing tissue-engineered heart valves to clinical fruition

Very durable because they are made of strong materials like carbon, titanium, Teflon, polyester and Dacron
Can last 30 years or more after implant
Patient threat for future valve replacement re-operation is decreased
Suitable for children, young adults, and patients who have a high risk at re-operation
Good hemodynamic performance
New design features projected lower thromboembolic rates without loss of durability
No or less structural valve failure disc in terms of structural integrity