The “1,000-year valve,” and new info on bypass success.

It’s great when repairs in your home — clearing a blocked pipe or fixing a leaky faucet — last as long as you live there. Many patients today who need repairs on their hearts can hope for something much better than that.

Older patients who receive new heart valves, for example, can expect the devices to last decades, says Michael Banbury, M.D., a cardiac surgeon at The Cleveland Clinic. Part of the longevity bonus depends on lifestyle choices people make before they ever need to go to the operating room. Here’s what you can expect from surgical treatments today. And here’s how you can help prolong surgery’s benefits — or…

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