There are minimally invasive valve replacement procedures, that implant a biomedical valve with a lifespan of 7-10 years. That’s fine for the average replacement patient who’s 75… but not for a patient who’s 58.

My valve is not just abnormal but also small. When the biomed valve failed, I’d need open heart surgery. So the question becomes: how strong do I think I am now, how long to expect to live, and which procedure do I want to delay until the replacement valve inevitably fails: open heart or TAVR.