{"id":12862,"date":"2025-03-27T13:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T13:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2025\/?p=12862"},"modified":"2025-04-22T19:47:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T18:47:38","slug":"more-metal-than-terminator-the-story-of-my-nan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2025\/2025\/03\/27\/more-metal-than-terminator-the-story-of-my-nan\/","title":{"rendered":"More metal than Terminator \u2013 the story of my nan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Growing up I spent a lot of time with my nan \u2013 something I always noticed was a faint \u2018tick, tick, tick\u2026\u2019 coming from her. As I became older, she explained to me this was because she\u2019d had some big surgeries and part of her heart was now made of metal (we used to joke that she was like iron man or the terminator). Her heart valves had become leaky, meaning they had to be replaced with mechanical valves in an open-heart surgery at Southampton General hospital. Because of my nan, I\u2019ve always had a personal interest in how we use prosthetics in the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prior to the surgery, my nan was given the choice between mechanical or biological valves, each with their own pros and cons. Biological valves typically last 10-15 years while mechanical valves can last a lifetime, making mechanical the go-to for patients under 65.\u00a0Her team opted for mechanical valves so she wouldn\u2019t need yet another risky open-heart surgery later down the line.\u00a01<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1: Diagram of the heart valves, alongside biological and mechanical valve replacements.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Biological 0 \u2013 Mechanical 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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