geebee said:
Well first off, if it is in formaldehyde, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Second, Bjork-Shiley is a metalic valve and doesn't need to be soaking in formaldehyde. What little heart tissue still clings to the sewing cuff will
dry out and be mummyfied. You can then throw it in an old shoe box with the rest of those momentos you can't bare to part with- that is what I did
24 years ago. I did take it with me when I went for my last surgery because
I thought they would be interested in it. Showed it to my surgeon, Dr. Pettersson(a Swede) and he looked at me like "these Americans are crazy".
I guess he never had someone show him a valve that someone else had taken
out.
Of course my favorite trick is an old voodoo gag. Pretend your doing surgery on yourself. Lie down like you are having a heart attack- tear open your shirt and grab your heart with your hand(which have the valve and a couple of opened ketchup packets in them) then put on an act like you are reaching in to your chest. Push on the ketchup and make it come out. Then
produce the valve in one hand while discarding the spent ketchup packet in
the other hand. Like to see the tissue valver pull that one off!
