OBJECTIVE To investigate whether QT dispersion is a reliable index of the severity of aortic stenosis and left ventricular hypertrophy in the setting of aortic stenosis. DESIGN A retrospective analysis of the results of echocardiography and electrocardiography before and after aortic valve replacement. SETTING Tertiary centre. PATIENTS 36 men (30 white and six black) with symptomatic aort...

OBJECTIVE Although mitral valve replacement is frequently performed in patients of all age groups, there are few studies available which determine the causes of operative mortality in mitral valve replacement especially in our region. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify factors that are significantly associated with operative mortality in mitral valve replacement. METHODS F...

INTRODUCTION The tricuspid valve has been taken as a non-critical valve in terms of acute or late mortality in a number of conditions. Tricuspid functional regurgitation is a cause of late operations with an increased morbidity. A number of techniques have been described and used in clinical practice in the past forty years and include simple suture techniques and the use of support for annulop...

OBJECTIVE Tricuspid valve (TV) surgery is usually performed as a concomitant reconstruction procedure in addition to the correction of other cardiac pathologies. Isolated tricuspid procedures are exceptionally rare. Prosthetic valve replacement is also seldom required. Generally, these patients face a high risk of operative mortality and long-term outcome is poor. In this study we reviewed our ...

Rupture of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement, although infrequent, may be a highly lethal complication. This report describes the early diagnosis and successful repair of rupture of atrioventricular groove in an elderly patient who underwent mitral valve replacement.

BACKGROUND Leaflet escape is a mode of structural valve failure for mechanical prostheses. This complication previously has been reported for both monoleaflet and bileaflet valve models. We report 2 leaflet escape occurrences observed in 2 patients who underwent valve replacement with a TRI Technologies valve prosthesis. METHODS AND RESULTS At the University of Padua, between November 2000 an...

OBJECTIVE In cases of aortic valve replacement, the downstream flow profile and turbulence in the ascending aorta differ according to the prosthetic aortic valve implanted. The objective of this work is to study the influence of prosthetic valve type on the flow in the bypass grafts implanted to the ascending aorta in cases of concomitant aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass. M...

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as the treatment of choice among inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and as a treatment alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for high-risk surgical patients. Subsequently, the number of patients undergoing TAVR worldwide is steadily increasing and the complications related to valve implantation ...

A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), vasculitis, and aortic valve incompetence of the histologically nonspecific type is described. Valve replacement was undertaken, and an excellent haemodynamic result was achieved. Both arthritis and vasculitis subsequently remitted. Valve replacement can be successfully performed in RA despite active vasculitis.

BACKGROUND Long-term follow-up data concerning isolated tricuspid valve pathology after replacement or reconstruction is limited. Current American Heart Association guidelines equally recommend repair and replacement when surgical intervention is indicated. Our aim was to investigate and compare operative mortality and long-term survival in patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve repair su...