שאלה משלב א׳ בכירורגיה של בית החזה · מועד 2025 (Sep), שאלה 147

Correct: D — the patient's age. Structural valve deterioration is driven by calcium metabolism, which is far more active in the young, so a bioprosthesis implanted at 40 fails within about a decade while one implanted at 75 usually outlives the patient. Valve position (option A) has a lesser effect, and renal failure and diabetes (options B and C) accelerate degeneration but matter less than age.