Haemolysis with Björk-Shiley and Starr-Edwards prosthetic heart valves: a comparative study.

Slater, S. D., Saflam, I. A., Bain, W. H., Turner, M. A., and Lawrie, T. D. V. (1974). Thorax, 29, 624-632. Haemolysis with Bjork-Shiley and Starr-Edwards prosthetic heart valves: a comparative study. A comparison was made of the haemolytic complications in 85 patients with two different types of Starr-Edwards cloth-covered ball and cage prosthesis with those in 44 patients with the Bjork-Shiley tilting disc valve. Intravascular haemolysis, as detected by the presence of haemosiderinuria, occurred significantly less often with the Bjork-Shiley than with the Starr-Edwards valve, the overall incidence with aortic, mitral or multiple replacements being 31%, 15%, and 20% for Bjork-Shiley and 94%, 92%, and 88% for Starr-Edwards valves respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of haemolysis between each of the two types of StarrEdwards prosthesis studied at either the aortic (2300 versus 2310 model) or mitral (6300 versus 6310) site. Haemolytic anaemia developed in only one patient with a Bjork-Shiley valve but was