INTRODUCTION Surgical replacement for aortic stenosis is fraught with complications in high-risk patients. Transcatheter techniques may offer a minimally invasive solution, but their comparative effectiveness and safety is uncertain. We performed a network meta-analysis on this topic. METHODS Randomized trials on transcatheter aortic valve replacement vs surgery were searched. The primary out...

BACKGROUND Although the aortic valve-sparing procedure has gained popularity in recent years, it still remains challenging in patients with advanced aortic regurgitation (AR). We compared the long-term outcomes of the aortic valve-sparing procedure with the Bentall operation in patients with advanced aortic regurgitation secondary to aortic root dilatation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospecti...

Background—It is suggested that in young adults the Ross procedure results in better late patient survival compared with mechanical prosthesis implantation. We performed a propensity score–matched study that assessed late survival in young adult patients after a Ross procedure versus that after mechanical aortic valve replacement with optimal self-management anticoagulation therapy. Methods and...

The hot gases produced by the internal combustion engines passes through the exhaust valve and causes high temperatures in the exhaust valve and its seat. To avoid damaging the exhaust valve, heat must be transferred from the valve to its seat during the contact they make at the opening and closing cycle. Heat transfer rate from the exhaust valve to its seat is a function of many factors. One o...

OBJECTIVE To compare incidence of atrial arrhythmia, duration of care, and major complications after cardiac surgery between patients who received etomidate and those who received other induction agents. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study utilizing propensity score matching. SETTING A single academic, tertiary care hospital. PARTICIPANTS Eight thousand nine hundred seventy-eight patients u...

BACKGROUND It is suggested that in young adults the Ross procedure results in better late patient survival compared with mechanical prosthesis implantation. We performed a propensity score-matched study that assessed late survival in young adult patients after a Ross procedure versus that after mechanical aortic valve replacement with optimal self-management anticoagulation therapy. METHODS A...

BACKGROUND Few data exist on the relation of the 3-dimensional morphology of mitral valve and degree of mitral regurgitation (MR) in mitral valve prolapse. METHODS AND RESULTS Real-time 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography of the mitral valve was acquired in 112 subjects, including 36 patients with mitral valve prolapse and significant MR (≥3+; MR+ group), 32 patients with mitral va...

BACKGROUND Although the maze procedure is an established surgical treatment for eliminating atrial fibrillation (AF), its efficacy in patients with mitral valve disease has remained unsatisfactory. A useful predictive marker for the outcome of the maze procedure is needed. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the preoperative ratio of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) to brain natriu...

This study attempts to predict the size of shunt in secundum atrial septal defects by non-invasive M-mode echocardiography. The areas under the excursions of the mitral and tricuspid valves were measured with a sonic digitiser and the ratio of these areas compared with the shunt size as obtained at c'atheterisation. The relation between the mitral and tricuspid valve areas in patients with atri...

The purpose of a prosthetic cardiac valve is to restore the function of a diseased aortic or mitral valve, and its role in haemodynamics is a passive one: the opening and closing of such a valve is strictly regulated by the pressure differences in the cardiac chambers which communicate through this valve. Therefore we consider that a prosthetic valve should be tested under conditions simulating...