Will mechanical valves become limited for treating severe aortic stenosis patients with prior lifelong indication for anticoagulation?

The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis, which has now been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), provide important data on outcomes after bioprosthetic valve replacement in low to intermediate risk patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (1). We briefly discuss the implications of these pooled data on the decision between do not intervene or surgical replacement using mechanical versus biological prosthesis.