Seven and one-half years' experience with the Medtronic-Hall valve.

The Medtronic-Hall valve was developed to improve on existing tilting disc valves by reducing the risk of valvular thrombosis. This was to be accomplished by improving the hemodynamics and by allowing the disc to move downstream away from the orifice during opening. The valve was also designed for maximal structural durability to minimize the risk of mechanical breakage. With more than 1,000 Medtronic-Hall valves implanted since 1977, the clinical results have been very encouraging. The rates of thromboembolism and thrombosis are low, there have been no mechanical failures and the hemodynamic function, especially with the smaller valves, is excellent.

Clinical results and in vivo valve function after implantation of a Bicer valve prosthesis in the aortic position.

Between December 1981 and June 1987, 71 patients underwent aortic valve replacement with a Bicer monostrut tilting disc prosthesis. Clinical results and in vivo function of the artificial valve were assessed. The average age of the 71 patients at the time of operation was 51.3 +/- 11.5 years. The hospital mortality rate was 2.8% (two patients) and there were no further deaths during a mean (+/- SD) follow-up period of 2.4 +/- 1.6 years (range 1 month to 5.5 years) after surgery. There was also no occurrence of thromboembolism or valve dysfunction. Function of the Bicer valve prosthesis was assessed in 17 patients: 5 with a 21 mm valve, 7 with a 23 mm valve and 5 with a 25 mm valve. Examination was performed on average 10.3 +/- 8.1 months after surgery. Valve function was examined at rest and during exercise performed with a bicycle ergometer. Pressure gradients at rest were low: 21 mm valve = 8 mm Hg, 23 mm valve = 3 mm Hg and 25 mm valve = 2 mm Hg; the gradients during exercise were 11, 8 and 8 mm Hg, respectively. The valves had the following effective orifice area at rest: 21 mm valve = 1.54 cm2, 23 mm valve = 4.20 cm2 and 25 mm valve = 3.76 cm2; during exercise, the respective areas were 1.57, 3.48 and 3.01 cm2. These valves are deemed to be sufficiently wide for effective valve function. Aortographic observation indicated mild regurgitation that was within reasonable limits and posed no problem.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A 6 year experience with the St. Jude medical valve: hemodynamic performance, surgical results, biocompatibility and follow-up.

After in vitro testing (confirmed in vivo) of three contemporary valve designs (St. Jude, Björk-Shiley and Carpentier-Edwards) demonstrated that the St. Jude valve possessed the most favorable hydrodynamic performance characteristics, a limited clinical trial was begun in high risk patients who might benefit from a prosthesis with improved hemodynamics. Between March 1978 and March 1984, 419 St. Jude prostheses (157 aortic, 156 mitral and 53 double aortic-mitral) were implanted in 366 patients. Ninety-six percent were in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV preoperatively. Early (30 day) mortality was 10.4% overall, and was lower after aortic (5.7%) or double (7.5%) than after isolated mitral valve replacement (16.0%). Forty-four prosthetic mitral valve recipients with severe ischemic mitral regurgitation experienced a 32% early mortality rate; without this group, mitral valve replacement carried a 10% early mortality rate (p less than 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that early death was strongly associated with three preoperative patient characteristics (p less than 0.05): ischemic mitral valve disease, depressed left ventricular function (ejection fraction less than 0.55) and advanced functional class (class IV). Late follow-up (7,055 patient-months, mean 22) was 99.7% complete (1 patient lost). Actuarial survival at 4 years was 80, 80 and 79% after aortic, mitral (nonischemic) and double valve replacement, respectively; in the subset with ischemic mitral regurgitation, actuarial survival was 34% (p less than 0.01). Eighty-six percent of survivors were in functional class I or II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prognosis after valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and a low transvalvular pressure gradient.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine the risks and benefits of valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and a low transvalvular pressure gradient. BACKGROUND: There is uncertainty regarding the appropriate management of adults with severe aortic stenosis and a transvalvular pressure gradient < or = 30 mm Hg. With only six such patients reported, one study suggested that these subjects have a prohibitive operative risk and little symptomatic improvement if they survive surgical treatment, whereas another showed that they can survive an operation and improve symptomatically. METHODS: In an attempt to clarify the risks and benefits of valve replacement in these patients, we reviewed the records of 18 patients (15 men and 3 women, aged 49 to 81 years) with severe aortic stenosis (valve area < or = 0.4 cm2/m2 body surface area), a mean transvalvular pressure gradient < or = 30 mm Hg and limiting symptoms (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV) who underwent valve replacement. RESULTS: Six patients (33%) (95% confidence interval 13% to 59%) died perioperatively, whereas 10 patients (56%) (95% confidence interval 31% to 78%) improved symptomatically to functional class I (n = 8) or II (n = 2) (p = NS in comparison with the 6 who died). No clinical or hemodynamic variable was predictive of survival or improvement in functional class. CONCLUSIONS: Valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and a transvalvular pressure gradient < or = 30 mm Hg is accompanied by a considerable operative risk. Although there were no significant differences in this small series between the fraction of patients who died and those who exhibited improvement, we still recommend the procedure because many patients survive the operation and most of the survivors show an improved symptomatic status.

Outcome of cardiac surgery for carcinoid heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis was that cardiac surgery for symptomatic carcinoid heart disease in conjunction with adjunctive therapy could improve the long-term outlook of patients with carcinoid heart disease. BACKGROUND: Patients with carcinoid heart disease have a dismal prognosis; most die of progressive right heart failure within 1 year after onset of symptoms. Improved therapies for the systemic manifestations of the carcinoid syndrome have resulted in symptomatic improvement and prolonged survival in patients without heart disease. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with symptomatic carcinoid heart disease underwent valvular surgery. Preoperative clinical, laboratory, Doppler echocardiographic and hemodynamic factors were evaluated. The survival of the surgical group was compared with that of a control group of 40 medically treated patients. RESULTS: There were nine perioperative deaths (35%), primarily from postoperative bleeding and right ventricular failure. Of the 17 surgical survivors, 8 were alive at a mean of 28 months of follow-up. The postoperative functional class of the eight surviving patients was substantially improved. Late deaths were primarily due to hepatic dysfunction caused by metastatic disease. The only predictor of operative mortality (p = 0.03) was low voltage on preoperative electrocardiography (limb lead voltage < or = 5 mm). Predictors of late survival included a lower preoperative somatostatin requirement and a lower preoperative urinary 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid level. There was a trend toward increased survival for the surgical group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Because new therapies have improved survival in patients with the malignant carcinoid syndrome, cardiac involvement has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Valve surgery is the only definitive treatment. Although cardiac surgery carries a high perioperative mortality, marked symptomatic improvement occurs in survivors. Surgical intervention should therefore be considered when cardiac symptoms become severe.

Aortic valve replacement and combined aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting: predicting high risk groups.

To determine which groups of patients are at highest risk for operative or late mortality, 259 consecutive patients who underwent operation between 1978 and 1984 were studied; 170 underwent aortic valve replacement and 89 underwent aortic valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting. Multivariate analysis of risk factors selected emergency operation and patient age older than 70 years as the strongest predictors for operative death. Although patients having aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting had a higher operative mortality rate (13.5 versus 3.5%), the combined operation had no independent predictive effect on early or late results. At a mean follow-up time of 48 months after surgery, 72% of the survivors of operation were living, 10% were lost to follow-up and 18% were dead. Seventy-seven percent of long-term survivors were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II. The incidence of thromboembolism, paravalvular leak, bacterial endocarditis and hemorrhage each occurred at a rate of less than 1% per patient-year. The factors associated with late death were preoperative age, male sex, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index and functional class. Despite an increase in operative mortality, patients undergoing emergency operation were not at higher risk of late death. Operative mortality is concentrated among several high risk groups. For patients undergoing elective operation, operative mortality is low, especially if the patient is less than 70 years old. Late results are good for all groups of patients undergoing operation, including those who are at greater risk of dying at operation.

Comparison of outcome after valve replacement with a bioprosthesis versus a mechanical prosthesis: initial 5 year results of a randomized trial.

The Veterans Administration Cooperative Study on Valvular Heart Disease was organized to compare survival and incidence of valve-related complications between patients receiving a bioprosthesis (the Hancock porcine heterograft) and a mechanical prosthesis (the Björk-Shiley spherical disc valve). Five hundred seventy-five patients undergoing single aortic or mitral valve replacement were randomized at surgery to one of the two valve types. At an average follow-up of 5 years (range 3 to 8) there are no statistically significant differences in survival between patients with the two valve types in the aortic valve replacement group. There is a statistically nonsignificant trend toward improved survival in patients undergoing mitral valve replacement with a bioprosthesis compared with a mechanical prosthesis (5 year survival probability was 0.70 +/- 0.05 and 0.58 +/- 0.06, respectively). Fatal and nonfatal valve-related complications occurred significantly less frequently in patients with a bioprosthesis compared with a mechanical prosthesis for both mitral and aortic valve replacement. Five year complication-free probability was 0.67 +/- 0.05 and 0.45 +/- 0.06, respectively, for patients with mitral valve replacement and 0.63 +/- 0.04 and 0.53 +/- 0.04, respectively, for those with aortic valve replacement. The difference in overall complication rates was largely due to the increased number of clinically significant but nonfatal bleeding episodes in patients receiving a mechanical prosthesis. Adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics between patients receiving a mitral mechanical prosthesis and a mitral bioprosthesis reduced the statistical significance of the difference in both mortality and complications.

Determinants of prognosis of patients with aortic regurgitation who undergo aortic valve replacement.

Insidious and potentially irreversible left ventricular dysfunction may develop in patients with aortic regurgitation. To determine whether preoperative variables can predict postoperative outcome, 113 consecutive patients with aortic regurgitation who underwent surgical correction between 1962 and 1977 were studied and survivors were followed up for 4.6 +/- 3.3 years. Clinical and hemodynamic examinations were made in all patients before the operation. Echocardiograms were performed in 44 patients preoperatively and in 36 patients postoperatively. Perioperative or postoperative death due to congestive heart failure occurred in only eight patients (19%). No statistically significant predictors of total mortality or death due to cardiac failure were found based on preoperative clinical, hemodynamic or echocardiographic findings. Survivors of the operation showed significant functional improvement: preoperatively, 77% of all patients were in functional class III or IV; postoperatively, 84% of patients were in class I or II (p less than 0.0001). A weak statistical correlation of functional improvement was found with a preoperative presence of increased cardiac diameter on the chest radiograph (p less than 0.05) and the severity of left ventricular hypertrophy (p less than 0.05). Improvement of left ventricular function was also consistently found in survivors and correlated best with the degree of preoperative preservation of left ventricular function. Patients with an echocardiographic preoperative fractional shortening of the minor diameter greater than 26%, end-systolic dimension less than 55 mm and end-diastolic dimension less than 80 mm were most likely to have normal function after the operation. It is concluded that operative mortality and survival after surgical correction of aortic regurgitation cannot be accurately predicted from preoperative findings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Septal myomectomy and mitral valve replacement for idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis: short- and long-term follow-up.

The long-term results of septal myotomy-myomectomy or mitral valve replacement, or both, were assessed in 36 patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis who were followed up for 5 to 67 months (mean 48) postoperatively. The mean left ventricular outflow tract gradient at rest decreased postoperatively in all three patient groups. It decreased from 60 mm Hg (range 17 to 160) preoperatively to 3 mm Hg (range 0 to 20) postoperatively (p less than 0.001) in the 13 patients who underwent mitral valve replacement alone, from 69 mm Hg (range 18 to 140) to 35 mm Hg (range 20 to 50) (p less than 0.05) in the 12 patients who underwent myotomy-myomectomy alone and from 89 mm Hg (range 60 to 165) to 3.8 mm Hg (range 0 to 27) (p less than 0.001) in the 11 patients who underwent myomectomy plus mitral valve replacement. The reduction in gradient was more impressive after mitral valve replacement with or without septal myotomy-myomectomy than after septal myotomy-myomectomy alone. There was a marked reduction in symptoms after all three surgical procedures that was long-lasting and independent of the type of operation performed. There was no operative mortality. Postoperative annual mortality rate was 1.6%. Patients with severe congestive heart failure, significantly elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and atrial fibrillation have a less favorable long-term postoperative prognosis. Septal myotomy-myomectomy is recommended as the procedure of choice for the majority of patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis who require surgery, because it can alleviate symptoms without subjecting patients to the complications of a valve prosthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Decreased operative risk of surgical treatment of mitral regurgitation with or without coronary artery disease.

The consecutive 2 year experience with patients undergoing first-time surgery for mitral regurgitation with and without coronary artery disease was reviewed. From January 1988 to January 1990, 127 patients with pure mitral regurgitation undergoing first-time operation were surgically treated. No other valve lesion, no reoperation and no congenital defects were included. The mean patient age was 62 years with 26% of the patients greater than 70 years. Twenty-six percent of the entire group was in functional class IV. Seventy-five patients received mitral valve repair and 52 underwent mitral valve replacement with a St. Jude or Hancock valve. In patients undergoing mitral valve repair, there was a higher incidence of those greater than 70 years old and of coronary artery disease and in patients undergoing mitral valve replacement there was a higher incidence of functional class IV. The operative mortality rate was 2.3% (3 of 127 patients). No patient failed to be discontinued from cardiopulmonary bypass and all three deaths occurred after mitral valve replacement, with one from complications of chronic renal failure and dialysis. There was no significant difference in patients who either did or did not have a concomitant coronary artery bypass graft and there was no difference related to age or functional class. Postoperative complications occurred in five patients in the valve repair group, including recurrent mitral regurgitation in two necessitating reoperation, and in three patients in the valve replacement group. With newer operative and postoperative management techniques, especially preservation of the papillary muscle annular continuity, the risk of mitral valve surgery, particularly of valve repair, is considerably lower than in previous years.

Long-term relative survival rates after heart valve replacement.

The calculation and comparison of relative survival rates after interventional studies is a method that permits correction for important demographic variables, thereby adjusting for the "background mortality" in the general population. Long-term relative survival rates were analyzed in a consecutive series of 2,805 Swedish patients who, on the basis of clinical symptoms, underwent aortic valve replacement (n = 1,741), mitral valve replacement (n = 792) and double (aortic plus mitral) valve replacement (n = 272) between 1969 and 1983. The follow-up period, which closed August 1, 1985, included 100% of patients and covered 16,822 patient-years. Autopsy was performed in 75% of all deaths. The results underscore previously well known differences between the long-term survival after aortic valve replacement and mitral or double valve replacement, whereas no differences were noted between mitral and double valve replacement. Within the subgroup undergoing aortic valve replacement, analysis of relative survival rates disclosed a highly significant (p less than 0.001) difference between patients operated on for aortic stenosis and those operated on for aortic regurgitation, representing a mortality rate more than twice as high in the latter group. This difference was of much lesser magnitude when analyzed in the standard (actuarial) way. With a low (less than 2.5%) operative mortality rate for patients undergoing isolated elective aortic valve replacement in the current era and with an acceptable incidence of late valve-related death (5.2% at 10 years), these results may justify aortic valve replacement earlier in the course of chronic aortic regurgitation to prevent irreversible myocardial damage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The St. Jude valve prosthesis: analysis of the clinical results in 815 implants and the need for systemic anticoagulation.

Between July 1979 and December 1984, 785 patients received 815 St. Jude Medical valve prostheses. Valve-related mortality in the follow-up period was due to thromboembolism in seven cases, anticoagulant-related hemorrhage in three and perivalvular leak in two. Freedom from valve-related death or reoperation at 3 years was 96.4% for aortic valve replacement and 98.3% for mitral valve replacement. The overall rate of thromboembolism was 2.6%/patient-year with warfarin, 9.2%/patient-year with antiplatelet medication and 15.6%/patient-year in patients with no anticoagulant therapy. One episode of thrombotic obstruction of a mitral valve, in a patient receiving no anticoagulant therapy, resulted in an occurrence rate of such obstruction of 0.22%/patient-year. Valve replacement with the St. Jude valve produced excellent clinical results, but long-term anticoagulation with warfarin was required to minimize thromboembolic complications. The use of antiplatelet agents alone provided inadequate protection.

Thrombosis of mechanical cardiac valves: a qualitative comparison of the silastic ball valve and the tilting disc valve.

A review of 817 mitral and aortic Silastic ball valve implantations with a follow-up of 3,554 total patient-years yielded only seven cases of valve thrombosis. Time-related risk was 0.4% per patient-year in the mitral position and 0.1% per patient-year in the aortic position. Four of five mitral and one of two aortic ball valve thromboses were successfully managed by valve rereplacement . At least five of the seven patients presented with a prodrome (lasting at least 3 months) of symptoms of progressive heart failure and, occasionally, embolic episodes due to gradually increasing prosthetic stenosis by thrombus. This lengthy time course is in contrast to the more frequent rapid catastrophic thrombosis that occurs with the Björk-Shiley tilting disc valve. Recognition of the prodrome of Silastic ball valve thrombosis provides an opportunity for life-saving surgical intervention.

Hancock II porcine bioprosthesis: excellent durability at intermediate-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the clinical performance and durability of a new generation of porcine valve, the Hancock II bioprosthesis, at intermediate-term follow-up. BACKGROUND: Standard porcine bioprostheses undergo progressive structural deterioration, mainly due to cusp and commissural calcification, affecting durability and requiring reoperation. The Hancock II bioprosthesis, which is currently undergoing clinical investigation, is made from a porcine aortic valve treated with a calcium-retarding agent (sodium dodecyl sulfate [T6]), which should delay onset of calcification and increase durability. METHODS: From May 1983 to December 1992, we used the Hancock II bioprothesis in aortic (59 patients), mitral (101 patients) and mitral-aortic (25 patients), valve replacement procedures. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 0.1 to 8.7 years (mean [+/- SD] 4.5 +/- 2.6 years) and was 100% complete. Freedom from major postoperative events was calculated at 7 years for patients with aortic valve replacement and at 8 years for those with mitral and mitral-aortic valve replacement. RESULTS: The actuarial survival rate was 48 +/- 10%, 76 +/- 3% and 63 +/- 6%; freedom from valve-related mortality was 91 +/- 4%, 94 +/- 2% and 89 +/- 6%; freedom from thromboembolism was 80 +/- 11%, 90 +/- 2% and 79 +/- 7%; and freedom from reoperation was 100%, 97 +/- 1% and 89 +/- 6% after aortic, mitral and mitral-aortic valve replacement, respectively. No structural valve deterioration occurred. CONCLUSIONS: At intermediate-term follow-up the Hancock II bioprosthesis showed excellent durability in all positions. However, the effectiveness of anticalcification treatment must be assessed with longer follow-up studies.

Thrombolytic therapy for prosthetic cardiac valve thrombosis.

To determine the efficacy and safety of thrombolytic therapy for prosthetic valve thrombosis, a composite series of 41 patients who received either streptokinase or urokinase intravenously for this disorder were analyzed. The series comprised 3 patients treated at Rhode Island Hospital and 38 previously reported on. Short-term success was achieved in 32 patients (78%). Prosthetic valve thrombosis recurred in seven (22%) of the successfully treated patients, four of whom were retreated with thrombolytic therapy. A favorable clinical outcome was observed in each. Fever and venipuncture bleeding were the most frequent side effects. Systemic embolization occurred in 4 (15%) of 26 patients with either aortic or mitral prosthetic valve thrombosis. None of these latter patients experienced a permanent neurologic or circulatory deficit. It is concluded that thrombolytic therapy is of value in the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Valve replacement in children less than 5 years of age.

Between 1966 and 1984, there were 63 children less than 5 years of age who underwent 70 valve replacements (49 mitral [5 repeat], 6 aortic, 11 tricuspid [systemic ventricle; 2 repeat]), 2 tricuspid [pulmonary ventricle] and 1 multiple [mitral-aortic]) at Children's Hospital. Tissue valves were used in 20%. Since 1980, only Björk-Shiley and St. Jude valves have been used. The most common indication for valve replacement was mitral regurgitation after repair of atrioventricular (AV) canal (34%). Mortality dropped considerably over time: 76% before 1979, 33% from 1979 to 1982 and 22% since 1982. More than two-thirds of fatalities were operative deaths, usually within 3 days of surgery. Actuarial survival curves for those operated on since 1980 predict 1 and 5 year survival of 73 and 51%, respectively. For the 46 operative survivors 1 and 5 year valve survival was 97 and 70%, respectively. Postoperative hemodynamics were significantly improved on elective postoperative catheterizations. All but one patient with non-tissue valves received anticoagulant therapy. Postoperative complications included thromboembolism (1.6/100 patients-years) and hemorrhage (0.8/100 patient-years). The frequency of intravascular hemolysis and endocarditis was 1.6%, comparable with adult experience. Complete heart block requiring a pacemaker developed in nine patients (14.1%), in all after AV valve replacement. Valve replacement in young children generally results in considerable hemodynamic improvement. The mortality rate remains above that observed in adults but has declined considerably for those operated on after 1980.

Multiple valve operation for advanced valvular heart disease: results and risk factors in 513 patients.

To assess the results and incremental risk factors affecting outcome after multiple-valve operation in the early blood cardioplegia era of cardiac surgery, follow-up data (mean +/- SD 3.1 +/- 2 years) were obtained on 97% of 513 patients (mean age +/- SD 58.8 +/- 10.5 years) who underwent a multiple-valve procedure between June 1976 and August 1985. Preoperatively 41% of patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III and 54% in class IV. Three groups accounted for 98.6% of the patients: 57.7% had an aortic and mitral valve procedure, 29% had a mitral and tricuspid valve procedure and 11.9% had a triple-valve procedure. The overall hospital mortality rate was 12.5% and overall 5-year survival rate was 67.1%. Hazard function analysis for all deaths revealed systolic pulmonary artery pressure (p less than 0.0001), age (p = 0.005), triple valve procedure (p less than 0.005), concomitant coronary bypass operation (p less than 0.005) and prior cardiac surgery (p less than 0.002) as the significant incremental risk factors predicting decreased survival in the early hazard phase; diabetes (p less than 0.005) predicted decreased survival in the late hazard phase. Postoperatively the condition of 80% of the patients improved to functional class I or II; only 0.6% remained in functional class IV. The 5-year rate of freedom from late combined valve-related morbidity was 81.7% and that of freedom from late combined valve-related morbidity and mortality was 71.7%. These results demonstrate excellent clinical improvement and late survival after multiple valve operation in patients with advanced valvular heart disease, justifying aggressive surgical therapy in these patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Left ventricular hypertrophy and mortality after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. A high risk subgroup identified by preoperative relative wall thickness.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the relation between the extent and pattern of left ventricular hypertrophy and surgical outcome in 54 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis. BACKGROUND: Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that a subgroup of patients, mostly elderly women with Doppler evidence of abnormal intracavitary flow acceleration, had an unexpectedly high in-hospital mortality rate after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. We hypothesized that marked concentric hypertrophy, rather than the Doppler signal itself, was related to the poor outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic data in patients who survived aortic valve replacement versus those who died in the hospital was performed. RESULTS: There were no differences between the 42 survivors and 12 nonsurvivors with regard to the clinical or hemodynamic variables. Of the echocardiographic variables analyzed, diastolic relative wall thickness was found to be significantly different between the two groups. Patients who died had significantly greater relative wall thickness (mean +/- SD) than those who survived (0.72 +/- 0.38 vs. 0.56 +/- 0.15, p = 0.04). Analysis by gender demonstrated that the relation between ventricular geometry and mortality held true only for women. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that excessive ventricular hypertrophy, manifested as a markedly increased relative wall thickness, is associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative mortality after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis.

Coronary artery disease and its management: influence on survival in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Data from 1,156 patients greater than or equal to 30 years of age who underwent aortic valve replacement alone or with coronary artery bypass grafting from 1967 through 1976 (early series) and 227 similar patients operated on during 1982 and 1983 (late series) were reviewed. In the early series, 414 patients (36%) had preoperative coronary arteriography (group 1): group 1A (n = 224) did not have coronary artery disease, group 1B (n = 78) had coronary artery disease but did not undergo bypass grafting and group 1C (n = 112) had coronary artery disease and underwent bypass grafting. The 742 patients in group 2 did not have preoperative arteriography. Operative mortality rates (30 day) in groups 1A, 1B, 1C and 2 were 4.5, 10.3, 6.3 and 6.3%, respectively (p = NS). The 10 year survival in both groups 1 and 2 was 54%; in groups 1A, 1B and 1C it was 63, 36 and 49%, respectively (1A and 1B, p less than 0.01). In the late series, the 227 patients were divided into similar groups (group 1A, n = 73; 1B, n = 32; 1C, n = 99), and 90% had preoperative coronary arteriography. Operative mortality rates (30 day) for groups 1A, 1B and 1C were 1.4, 9.4 and 4.0%, respectively; that for group 2 (no preoperative arteriography, n = 23) was 4.3%. Definition of coronary anatomy by angiography seems important in most patients greater than or equal to 50 years old who are candidates for aortic valve replacement, and bypass grafting is recommended for those with significant coronary artery disease.

Aortic and mitral valve incompetence: long-term follow-up (10 to 19 years) of patients treated with the Starr-Edwards prosthesis.

The long-term course (mean 15 years) of 336 patients with valvular incompetence who underwent Starr-Edwards ball valve implantation between 1962 and 1971 was reviewed. Eighteen patients (10%) with aortic valve replacement and 24 (16%) with mitral valve replacement died early postoperatively. Mortality remained high (31%) in the first 3 years after aortic valve replacement; it was highest (13%) in the first year after mitral valve replacement and then approached the normal rate. The most common mode of death was sudden death after aortic and cardiac failure after mitral valve replacement. At follow-up, 76% of survivors had improved symptomatically. Three instances of primary valve malfunction occurred. The probability of freedom from thromboembolism at 15 years postoperatively was 56% for aortic valve replacement and 52% for mitral valve replacement. The Starr-Edwards valve prosthesis is durable over prolonged follow-up period, but thromboembolism remains a persistent problem. Survival may be normal for patients surviving the early postoperative years.