Correlation between levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms in the functional disability of patients with fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that are most correlated with the levels of functional disability in patients with fibromyalgia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 42 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology reported their status using the following questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale 14, the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Visual Analog Pain Scale, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire. RESULTS: Moderate to severe levels of depression (Beck Depression Inventory: 22.35±10.39), moderate to severe functional disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire: 1.28±0.58), and high levels of stress (Perceived Stress Scale 14: 31.59±10.02) were found. The correlation adjusted by multiple regression as a function of the Health Assessment Questionnaire indicated a negligible to weak positive correlation with perceived stress (r=0.11), while a moderately strong positive correlation was observed with the Visual Analog Pain Scale (r=0.55). Regarding physical exercise, one of the pillars of the treatment, a moderate negative correlation was found with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (r=-0.4). CONCLUSION: The pain levels were moderately influenced by depression severity. The factors most linked to functional disability are due to the pain levels but not to the perception of stress.

Correlation between levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms in the functional disability of patients with fibromyalgia

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that are most correlated with the levels of functional disability in patients with fibromyalgia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 42 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology reported their status using the following questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale 14, the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Visual Analog Pain Scale, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire. RESULTS: Moderate to severe levels of depression (Beck Depression Inventory: 22.35±10.39), moderate to severe functional disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire: 1.28±0.58), and high levels of stress (Perceived Stress Scale 14: 31.59±10.02) were found. The correlation adjusted by multiple regression as a function of the Health Assessment Questionnaire indicated a negligible to weak positive correlation with perceived stress (r=0.11), while a moderately strong positive correlation was observed with the Visual Analog Pain Scale (r=0.55). Regarding physical exercise, one of the pillars of the treatment, a moderate negative correlation was found with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (r=-0.4). CONCLUSION: The pain levels were moderately influenced by depression severity. The factors most linked to functional disability are due to the pain levels but not to the perception of stress.

Adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese and Latin-American Spanish and psychometric properties of the Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitudes Scale (MICA v4)

Abstract Objective To describe translation to Spanish and Portuguese and adaptation of the Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitudes Scale version 4 (MICA v4). Methods The questionnaire was administered to primary care physicians (PCPs) from four Latin-American countries, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Cuba. The validation process included four phases: 1) translation of the questionnaire to Spanish and Portuguese; 2) assessment of face validity; 3) assessment of reliability; and 4) evaluation of construct validity with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results The study sample comprised 427 PCPs. The mean age of the Spanish-speaking sample (n = 252) was 40.1 (S.D = 9.7) years and the mean age of the Portuguese-speaking sample (n = 150) was 40.2 (S.D = 10.9) years. Both models demonstrated "appropriate" internal reliability. Total omega was 0.91 for the Spanish-speaking sample and 0.89 for the Portuguese-speaking sample. The CFA of both questionnaires showed an appropriate fit for a three-factor model (Portuguese: CFI = 0.927; TLI = 0.913; RMSEA = 0.066; Spanish: CFI = 0.945; TLI = 0.935; RMSEA = 0.068). Conclusion The Latin-American versions of the MICA v4 in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese have appropriate psychometric properties, good internal consistency, and are applicable to and acceptable in the Latin-American context. The instrument proved its validity for collecting data on stigmatizing attitudes among health professionals in different contexts and cultures.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Cancer Outcome in Locally Advanced Clear Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing radical nephrectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified 880 nephrectomies performed between January 2009 and December 2016 in a single center, reviewed data from 478 radical nephrectomies for kidney tumors and identified 187 patients with locally advanced nonmetastatic ccRCC (pT3-T4 N0M0). NLR was obtained preoperatively and calculated by dividing absolute neutrophil count by absolute lymphocyte count. OS and RFS were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to evaluate predictors of RFS and OS. RESULTS: Among 187 patients with ccRCC (mean age 63.4 ± 11.5 years; 118 [63.1%] male), the median follow-up was 48.7 months. On univariate analysis, in patients with Fuhrman nuclear grade of differentiation 3-4, the median time to recurrence was significantly shorter with NLR ≥ 4 than < 4 (24 vs. 55 months, P = .045). On multivariable analysis adjusted for NLR ≥ 4, among all variables analyzed (NLR, microvascular invasion, sarcomatoid differentiation, tumor size and body mass index), only nuclear grade of differentiation was an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 2.18; 95% confidence interval 1.07-4.92, P = .03). The 3-year OS had no statistically significant difference between patients with NLR ≥ 4 or < 4. CONCLUSION: For patients with locally advanced, nonmetastatic ccRCC, RFS was reduced with high nuclear grade of differentiation and high preoperative NLR. These findings suggest an association between higher NLR and worse outcomes in locally advanced ccRCC.

Skin manifestations of tick bites in humans

Abstract: Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that attach to human skin through oral devices causing diverse initial cutaneous manifestations, and may also transmit serious infectious diseases. In certain situations, the Health Teams (and especially dermatologists) may face difficulties in identifying the lesions and associating them to the parasites. To assist them in clinical diagnosis, we suggest a classification of the skin manifestations in primary lesions, which occur by the attachment the tick to the host (for toxicity and the anticoagulant substances in the saliva and/or marked inflammation by the penetration and permanence of the mouthparts) and secondary lesions that are manifestations of infections caused by rickettsia, bacteria, protozoa and fungi inoculated by the ticks.

Inhibition of Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Response to Treatment with Metformin and Y27632 in Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

BACKGROUND: ROCK-1 expression is associated with the malignant character of tumors, while inhibiting this molecule results in a significant suppression of tumor metastasis. Likewise, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) is associated with this malignancy by having the ability to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Metformin, a drug used in the treatment of diabetes, has previously been shown to inhibit EMT in breast cancer cells. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the TGF-ß1 action model for induction of EMT and the action of metformin and ROCK-1 inhibitor (Y27632) in EMT process in breast cancer cell lines. METHOD: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines were treated with metformin and Y27632, after induction of EMT by TGF-ß1, to examine the effects on cell migration as well as the protein expression of the ROCK-1 markers, vimentin, E-cadherin, CD44 and CD24 by immunocitochemistry. RESULTS: There was a lower protein expression of ROCK-1, vimentin, CD44 and CD24 in both cell lines after treatment with metformin and Y27632. In MDA-MB-231 cells, E-cadherin expression was increased in all treatment groups. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 cell line with metformin and Y27632 significantly reduced the invasion of these cells. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the benefits of metformin and Y27632 as potential therapeutic agents in mammary tumors, by blocking EMT process and metastatic potential.

Compliance with surgical care improvement project blood glucose--a marker for euglycemia, but does it put our patients at risk?

To improve outcomes in open heart surgery (OHS) patients, the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) requires 6 am postoperative day (POD) 1 and 2 blood glucose (BG) to be ≤200mg/dL. This study examined risk factors for SCIP noncompliance when using an insulin infusion protocol (IIP) and evaluated this SCIP metric as a surrogate for glycemic control. The authors divided 99 consecutive OHS patients, all subjected to 1 uniform IIP, into 2 groups: Group 1-SCIP compliant (n=79) and Group 2-SCIP noncompliant (n=20). They determined mean BG for the first 48 postoperative hours, percent of total time with hyperglycemia (% time BG >200mg/dL) for each group, and assessed risk of SCIP noncompliance as relates to multiple risk factors including intensity of IIP application, and switching to subcutaneous (SQ) insulin prior to 6 am on POD 2. Group 1 had lower mean BG than Group 2 and percent of total time with hyperglycemia, P<0.0001. Multivariate analysis showed diabetes, obesity in nondiabetics, and switching to SQ insulin prior to 6 am on POD 2 to be risk factors for SCIP noncompliance. The 6 am BG values on POD 1 or POD 2 each correlated with average postoperative BG, and compliance with the SCIP BG metric was associated with virtually uniform BG ≤200mg/dL. IIP application was not significantly different between groups (P=0.2). Only patients who had been switched to SQ insulin prior to 6 am POD 2 were noncompliant at 6 am on POD 2. There were hypoglycemic events (BG <70mg/dL) in 15 of 99 patients (15%), 12 of whom (80%) were in Group 1. Noncompliance with this SCIP measure occurred more frequently in patients with diabetes or, if nondiabetic, in those patients with obesity. A trend toward increased insulin assessments in the SCIP noncompliant group suggests that 1 uniform IIP for all patients may not be effective. By not requiring the reporting of hypoglycemia, SCIP may inadvertently be exposing patients to harm.

Manifestação rara de edema agudo de pulmão associado à miocardite lúpica aguda - relato de caso / Unusual clinical manifestation of acute pulmonary edema associated to acute lupic myocarditis - case report

O lupus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) é a mais comum das doenças auto-imunes sistêmicas. Embora os rins classicamente sejam os órgãos mais acometidos no LES, o coração também pode ser afetado de forma significativa. Entretanto, a ocorrência de edema agudo de pulmão associado à miocardite lúpica é rara e de tratamento imunossupressor específico ainda incerto. O presente relato de caso revisa a literatura quanto a manifestações lúpicas do sistema cardiopulmonar, seu diagnóstico e tratamento, e descreve uma paciente lúpica jovem que evoluiu com edema agudo de pulmão decorrente de uma miopericardite lúpica aguda. O rápido diagnóstico pôde permitir o emprego da terapêutica imunossupressora adequada com reversão completa da disfunção miocárdica. Em pacientes jovens com quadro sugestivo de edema agudo de pulmão, o diagnóstico de LES deve ser considerado. O uso de pulsoterapia com corticóide endovenoso mostrou-se eficaz e seguro para o tratamento da manifestação cardíaca extrema.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common systemic autoimmune disease. Although kidneys are the mainorgans affected, heart may suffer injury too. However, acute pulmonary edema associated to lupic myocarditis is rare and its specific immunosuppressive treatment is still undefined. The present case report reviews literature about lupic manifestations in heart and lungs, their diagnosis and treatment, and describes an young lupic patient that had pulmonary edema due toacute lupic myopericarditis. Prompt diagnosis enabled correct immunosuppressive therapy that resulted in a complete reversion of myocardial disfunction. Lupus is a possible diagnosis in young patients with pulmonary edema. The use of intravenous pulse therapy with corticosteroids was safe and efficient to healing of this severe myocardial manifestation.

Artrite reumatóide e doença cardiovascular na atualidade: o que sabemos sobre essa associação e o que podemos fazer pelo paciente? / Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease: what do we know about this relationship and how can we treat affected patients nowadays?

O interesse em doenças auto-imunes vem crescendo a cada ano, principalmente sobre sua relação com doenças cardiovasculares. Especificamente a artrite reumatóide vem sendo considerada um fator de risco independente para doença arterial coronária nos últimos anos. Diversos estudos foram realizados recentemente com o objetivo de esclarecer pontos cruciais na estratificação de risco desses pacientes e no seu respectivo tratamento medicamentoso adequado. Novas terapias específicas da doença reumatóide ainda estão em estudo, e prometem reduzir o risco cardiovascular a longo prazo. Desse modo, realizamos uma revisão bibliográfica ampla, utilizando as principais bases de dados nacionais e internacionais, com o objetivo de salientar a importância de mecanismos ateroscleróticos e inflamatórios sobre a doença arterial coronária. Além disso, frente às atuais evidências, sugerimos estratégias de estratificação de risco e tratamento da doença arterial coronária em pacientes com artrite reumatóide.

The interest in auto-immune diseases has been grown, mainly about cardiovascular illnesses. Rheumatoid arthritis has been considered an independent risk factor for coronary arterial disease in last years. Recently, different studies have been performed in order to better clarify crucial points in risk stratification and correct treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. New specific therapies have been studying and promising reduction of cardiovascular risk. Thereby, we made a bibliographic revision to show the importance of atherosclerotic and inflammatory mechanisms in coronary artery disease. Furthermore, wesuggested different strategies to establish risk stratification andtreatment of cardiovascular diseases in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Cardiothoracic surgeon management of postoperative cardiac critical care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether postoperative cardiac care by cardiothoracic surgeons in a semiclosed intensive care unit model could be distinguished from that given by intensivists who are not board certified in cardiothoracic surgery. DESIGN: From January 2007 to February 2009, we retrospectively examined data on patients after cardiac operations from 2 consecutive periods during which full-time management of intensive care was changed from noncardiothoracic intensivists (period 1, 168 patients) to cardiothoracic surgeons (period 2, 272 patients). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Variables measured included Society of Thoracic Surgeons observed and expected mortality, central venous line infections, ventilator-acquired pneumonia, red blood cell exposure, adherence to blood glucose level target at 6 am on the first and second postoperative days, length of stay, and intensive care unit pharmacy costs. Results were compared using a 2-sample t test or 2-tailed Fisher exact test. RESULTS: In similar populations, as witnessed by equivalent Society of Thoracic Surgeons operative risk, cardiothoracic surgeons providing postoperative critical care led to a mean (SD) decrease in hospital length of stay from 13.4 (0.9) to 11.2 (0.4) days (P = .01) and decreased drug costs from $4300 (1000) to $1800  (200) (P < .001). These improvements occurred without losing benefits in other quality measures. CONCLUSIONS: By virtue of their cardiac-specific operative and nonoperative training, cardiothoracic surgeons may be uniquely qualified to provide postoperative cardiac critical care. In a semiclosed unit where care of the patient is codirected, the improvements noted may have been facilitated by the commonalities between surgeons and intensivists associated with similar training and experiences.

Intense implementation of a strict insulin infusion protocol does not guarantee postoperative glycemic control.

BACKGROUND: The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) has benchmarked 6:00 AM blood sugars on postoperative days (PODs) 1 and 2 at <200 mg/dL as an indicator of overall glycemic control (GC) in postoperative cardiac surgery patients. However, even in demonstration hospitals that publicly report for incentive payments, only 10% are compliant with this benchmark. The objectives of this study were to validate that the SCIP indicator correlates with overall GC, and relate the intensity of implementation of an insulin infusion protocol (IIP) (goal, blood sugar 100 to 140 mg/dL) to effective GC. STUDY DESIGN: All postoperative cardiac surgery patients for 12 consecutive months on the IIP were divided into 2 groups: group 1 included patients who were SCIP compliant (n = 98), and group 2 were patients who were not SCIP compliant (n = 10). For each patient, we determined average blood sugar, duration of hyperglycemia (percent of time with blood sugar >200mg/dL), and intensity of implementation of the IIP, defined as (number of blood sugar checks/hours on IIP), with 0.5 = minimum intensity of implementation dictated by the IIP, ie, an insulin adjustment every 2 hours. RESULTS: The average blood sugar for each of the 110 patients was no different than the SCIP 6:00 AM blood sugar: 146 versus 154 mg/dL, p = 0.18. SCIP noncompliance correlated with more intense implementation of the IIP, 0.72 ± 0.03 versus 0.83 ± 0.06 blood sugar checks/hour. CONCLUSIONS: The SCIP 6:00 AM blood sugar metric does correlate with average blood sugar on POD 1. Compliance with SCIP 6:00 AM blood sugar measurement is a valid surrogate for GC, though duration of hyperglycemia was still 14% in the compliant group. Use of an IIP does not guarantee GC, despite increased intensity of its application. Even intense use of an IIP may be ineffective when it fails to account for patient risk factors for hyperglycemia.

Atrial fibrillation correction surgery: lessons from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Database.

BACKGROUND: We used The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Database to document the utilization of surgical atrial fibrillation (AF) correction procedures in North America. We also examined the subset of patients having mitral valve surgery to determine whether concurrent surgical AF correction procedures were associated with an increased risk of morbidity or mortality. METHODS: Retrospective review of outcomes for 67,389 patients with AF having cardiac surgery between January 2004 and December 2006 was conducted. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess whether concomitant AF correction procedures increased risk in the mitral valve surgery cohort. RESULTS: Overall, 38% (25,718 of 67,389) of patients with AF undergoing cardiac surgery had an AF correction procedure, increasing from 28.1% in 2004 to 40.2% in 2006. Surgical AF correction was performed in 52% (6,415 of 12,235) of mitral valve surgery patients, 28% (2,965 of 10,590) of those having aortic valve surgery, and 24% (5,438 of 22,388) of those having isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. After adjusting for differences in preoperative characteristics, mitral valve surgery patients with a surgical AF correction procedure did not have a significantly higher risk of mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 1.20) or major morbidity. The risk for new permanent pacemaker implantation was higher (adjusted odds ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.49) in the AF correction with mitral valve surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: Although a growing number of patients with AF are treated with concurrent AF correction procedures during cardiac surgery, nearly 60% of patients are left untreated. Among patients with AF and mitral valve disease, the addition of an AF correction procedure does not increase perioperative morbidity or mortality.

Clinical outcomes are similar in pulsatile and nonpulsatile left ventricular assist device recipients.

BACKGROUND: Despite concerns about the adequacy of support provided by continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), direct comparisons of patient characteristics and outcomes between first-generation pulsatile and second-generation nonpulsatile LVADs are absent. We hypothesized that a nonpulsatile Jarvik 2000 LVAD (Jarvik Heart, Inc, New York, NY) would result in comparable outcomes to those of similarly ill patients implanted with a pulsatile LVAD (Novacor, WorldHeart Inc, Oakland, CA; and HeartMate XVE, Thoratec, Pleasanton, CA). METHODS: We retrospectively compared common pre-LVAD clinical characteristics and indicators of heart failure severity between 13 pulsatile and 14 nonpulsatile LVAD recipients. The outcomes analyzed were either heart transplantation, if the LVAD was intended as a bridge to transplantation, or hospital discharge if the intention was destination therapy. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups in pre-LVAD disease severity indicators. Nonpulsatile LVAD recipients had a significantly smaller body surface area (1.9 +/- 0.2 m2 versus 2.1 +/- 0.2 m2, p = 0.04) and cardiopulmonary bypass time was also significantly shorter (61 +/- 34 minutes versus 110 +/- 49 minutes, p = 0.01). Aside from duration of initial intensive care unit stay (nonpulsatile, 10 +/- 16 days; pulsatile, 14 +/- 11 days; p = 0.02), there was no difference in post-LVAD outcomes: 10 of 14 nonpulsatile and 8 of 13 pulsatile LVAD patients achieved the combined end point (p = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Similarly ill congestive heart failure patients benefited equally well from either a nonpulsatile or a pulsatile LVAD. This may support an expanded role for nonpulsatile LVADs in the treatment of severe heart failure.

Resultados em longo prazo de um programa de qualidade para melhorar a adequação na hemodiálise / long-term results of a qualíty program designed to improve tbe adequacy ín hemodíalysis

Objetivo: Avaliar os resultados em longo prazo de um Programa de Qualidade implantado em onze unidades de hemodiálise simultaneamente, que objetivou reduzir a prevalência de pacientes com Kt/V de uréia inadequado. Métodos: As prescrições de diálise passaram a ser revistas e corrigidas seguindo um algoritmo que incluía modificações no fluxo de sangue (FS), na duração da sessão e no coeficiente de transferência de massa (KoA) dos filtros. Todos os dados foram coletados de forma padronizada em todas as 11 unidades. Neste estudo são apresentados os resultados de três avali- ações transversais, feitas imediatamente antes do início, após dois anos e quatro anos depois da implantação deste pro- grama. Resultados: Na primeira avaliação, nos 1315 pacientes considerados, o Kt/V equilibrado (eKt/V) era 1,26 ± 0,23, sendo que 55 deles tinham eKt/V > 1,2. Após dois anos, nos 1538 pacientes em hemodiálise, o FS, a duração da sessão e o KoA dos filtros eram significativamente mais altos. O eKt/V era maior (1,52 + 0,27; P< 0,001 vs. inicial) sendo > 1,2 em 83 dos pacientes. Com quatro anos de seguimento, 91 de 1560 pacientes avaliados tinham eKt/V > 1,2. Nesta última avaliação, havia uma correlação inversa entre peso seco e eKt/V (r= -0,44; P< 0,001). No último quartil de peso, o percentual de pacientes com Kt/V < 1,2 era mais elevado entre aqueles dialisando com FS < 400milrnin do que entre aque- les com FS > 400m11min (30 vs. 16; P< 0,001). Conclusões: Após a implementação do Programa de Qualidade, a prevalência de pacientes com eKt/V inadequado foi significativamente reduzida.

Induction immunosuppression after heart transplantation: monoclonal vs. polyclonal antithymoglobulins. Is there a difference?

Induction immunosuppression after heart transplantation is believed to reduce the risk of acute graft rejection. While monoclonal and polyclonal antithymoglobulins are considered the optimal induction agents, controversy remains regarding their relative superiority. This article presents a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis in order to assess the relative benefits and side-effects of monoclonal vs. polyclonal antithymoglobulins as induction immunosuppression agents. Pooled analysis demonstrated a small but statistically insignificant difference in the average time to first rejection between the groups (6.7+/-15.5 days, P=0.39). No statistically significant differences in the proportion of patients who developed rejection or infection episodes at 6 months were observed (Relative Risk 0.97, P=0.82 and Relative Risk 0.85, P=0.14, respectively). In addition, no statistically significant difference in survival was found between the groups at 6 months (Relative Risk 0.98, P=0.58). A greater number of drug related side-effects was observed, however, in the monoclonal group, including episodes of acute pulmonary edema and hypotension. In conclusion, this review revealed no statistically significant differences in rejection, infection, or survival rates between the monoclonal and polyclonal groups. The increased rate of side-effects with monoclonal antibodies might suggest a superiority of polyclonal over monoclonal antibodies.

Intercontinental LVAS patient transport.

Mechanical circulatory support is currently indicated for patients with cardiac insufficiency as a bridge to transplantation or as a bridge to recovery. These systems continue to evolve and improve, and many patients (after they are stabilized) are now able to be discharged from the hospital. This article reports our experience with the intercontinental transportation of a patient while being supported with a Novacor left ventricular assist system (WorldHeart Corp, Ottawa, Canada). While in Japan, the Canadian patient suffered a myocardial infarction and despite coronary artery bypass grafting, the patient remained in a low cardiac output state. After implantation of the left ventricular assist system in Japan, the patient was stabilized and transported by a commercial airline to Canada where he underwent successful heart transplantation.

Clinical outcomes with the Hancock II bioprosthetic valve.

BACKGROUND: The Hancock II bioprosthetic valve, which was first introduced to clinical use in 1978, differs from its predecessor in several ways. This study was designed to evaluate the durability and outcomes with this valve in patients who had isolated aortic or mitral valve replacements. METHODS: From 1991 to 1999, 459 patients underwent aortic valve replacement and 138 patients underwent mitral valve replacement with the Hancock II bioprosthesis (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, MN). The mean age was 73.2 +/- 0.4 and 72.6 +/- 0.8 years in the aortic and mitral groups, respectively. Most patients were in New York Heart Association Class III or IV (50% aortic group and 69% mitral group) and concomitant coronary artery bypass was performed in 49.4% and 52.8% of patients, respectively. Patients were assessed annually and follow-up was up to 129 months in the aortic group and 100 months in the mitral group. RESULTS: At 8 years, actuarial survival was 52% +/- 5% in the aortic group and 57% +/- 8% in the mitral group. Furthermore, the actuarial freedom from structural failure necessitating reoperation was 99% +/- 0.5% in the aortic group and 98% +/- 2% in the mitral group, and the actuarial freedom from repeat valve surgery due to all causes was 97% +/- 2% and 96% +/- 2%, respectively. Actuarial freedom from thromboembolic events was 89% +/- 2% in the aortic group and 90% +/- 5% in the mitral group. CONCLUSIONS: The Hancock II valve has excellent midterm durability and clinical performance in older patients.