Heart patients could soon be given replacement valves from DONKEYS

Some are already treated using valves taken from cows or pigs.

But researchers in China believe donkey tissue is stronger and more elastic — making it more suitable.

And they are testing the animal’s heart valves as a potential replacement for damaged human ones.

The breakthrough could help thousands of Brits who have surgery to fix valves which have narrowed due to calcium deposits or started to leak — stopping blood from flowing properly around the heart.

Experts at Shandong University said donkeys eat only plant materials and have fewer infectious diseases than cattle — making them ideal “donors” for humans.

Calcium build-up is also low in donkeys, suggesting that their valves will last longer.

In a report in the journal Artificial Organs the scientists said: “Donkeys have low rates of disease and a high overall survival rate.

This study confirms their tissue may provide a suitable valve substitute.”

Around 13,000 people a year in the UK face an operation to mend faulty heart valves. The most common sign is breathlessness, especially climbing stairs or going uphill.

Surgeons mainly use parts made from metal and plastic, because they last for years. But these increase the risk of a clot and patients must take the blood-thinner warfarin for the rest of their lives.
 
Thesun