Current clinical management of dysfunctional bioprosthetic pulmonary valves

Introduction: As with any bioprosthetic valve, bioprosthetic valves in the pulmonary position have a finite life span and patients with bioprosthetic pulmonary valves require lifetime management to treat valve dysfunction. Areas covered: In this article, authors discuss the current medical management for the treatment of dysfunctional bioprosthetic valves. This review is based on both an extensive review of the recent cardiac surgical/interventional cardiology literature (PubMed and MEDLINE database searches from 1958 to 2019) and personal experience. Expert opinion: Valve technology is rapidly progressing and with a coordinated effort from cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists, patients suffering from bioprosthetic pulmonary valve dysfunction can expect to have a decreased number of procedures and less invasive procedures over their lifetime now.