Heart valves are like the doors to a room, and when they don’t open or close, they need to be repaired. Usually, medication can only provide temporary relief, not solve the underlying problem. Severe valve lesions require surgery. There are two main forms of surgical treatment. Valve repair is to repair the bad “door” and use it again, the “door” is still its own “door”. It should be said that valve repair is the most ideal treatment. Because repair preserves the valve itself, in the mitral and tricuspid valve positions, and also preserves the appendage structures of the valve, it is very beneficial in preserving the damaged heart function, especially in those patients with severely impaired heart function. And the great benefit of valve repair is that the repaired valve does not require lifelong anticoagulation, does not require regular monitoring of coagulation, and has a better quality of life than valve replacement. Valve replacement is the removal of the original “door” and replacement with a new artificial “door. Although valve repair is ideal, there are always valves that are not suitable for repair. These unsuitable valves will then eventually need to be replaced. There are two main types of valves used in valve replacement, a mechanical valve and a biological valve. Mechanical valves can be thought of as not being bad for decades, but mechanical valves have the risk of localized thrombosis, so mechanical valves have to be replaced with a lifetime of anticoagulants, which don’t work if used sparingly, but can cause bleeding if used more often. Anticoagulation for 3-6 months after biologic valve surgery is sufficient, however, there is postoperative destruction of biologic valves, and it is generally believed that biologic valves will break down in 10-15 years and require reoperation. Therefore, it is generally the elderly who choose bioprosthetic valves. Of course, as technology advances, the service life of biologic valves is improving, but they are still not as well tolerated as mechanical valves. Doctor’s Tip The best treatment is the one that is right for you. Each patient is an individual, and the doctor will decide the best treatment for the patient based on his or her own condition.