BACKGROUND The problem of prosthetic heart valve selection in fertile women with acquired heart defects remains crucial in modern cardiology. Mechanical heart valves require lifelong indirect anticoagulant therapy, which has significant fetal toxicity and is unacceptable for women planning pregnancy. Bioprosthetic heart valves are the best choice for fertile women; however, their durability is ...

OBJECTIVE Allografts are the valve of choice for fertile women, patients with infective endocarditis and those with small aortic roots. However, the supply of valves is problematic and widespread usage is restricted by limited availability. Allograft valves are available from cadaveric donors and from the explanted hearts of transplant recipients. Potentially, hearts from these patients could b...

Carcinoids are rare neuroendocrine tumours that occur primarily in the gastrointestinal tract. Carcinoid heart disease is characterized by fibrous plaque deposition on the endocardial surface of the cardiac valves and chambers. It affects the right heart valves in 85% of cases and the left heart valves in 15%. We present an unusual case of a patient with metastatic carcinoid heart disease in wh...

Heart valves are thin, complex, layered connective tissues that direct blood flow in one di‐ rection through the heart. There are four valves in the heart, located at the entrance to and exit from the ventricular chambers. The normal function of the heart valves is essential to cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary physiology. The opening and closing of valve leaflets at precise times during the c...

The first prosthetic valve was implanted by Hufnagel in 1952 in a patient with aortic insufficiency. Since then, prosthetic valves have evolved into various mechanical and bioprosthetic shapes and sizes. Despite the excitement surrounding the current development of prosthetic heart valves, surgically implanted valves remain the mainstay of current practice, and this article discusses the hemody...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY Glutaraldehyde-preserved bioprosthetic heart valves are non-viable and have a limited durability because of calcification, tissue wear, and inflammation, especially in children. Decellularized porcine heart valves, when treated with deoxycholic acid (DOA), have exhibited complete recellularization and an absence of calcification when implanted into the pulmonary ...

BACKGROUND Minimal data exist on the long-term survival of dialysis patients after cardiac valve surgery. Current practice guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on the management of patients with valvular heart disease proscribe the use of bioprosthetic (tissue) valves in hemodialysis patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Dialysis patients hospitalized...

listen to the heart sounds gives us valuable information about existence of disorder in heart rate and rhythm, ventricular fibrillation and movement of blood through valves. this required a lot of skills. so it is necessary to understand and apply these skills for nurses in cardiac and intensive care. abnormal sounds can be recognized by them. for facilitation this work, nurses should be have i...

Endocarditis is rarely reported in sheep and information presented for ovine endocarditis is based mostly on comparative findings in the cattle. Infective vegetative endocarditis of the right heart was diagnosed in a 3-year-old fat-tailed ram. Clinical findings included tachycardia, marked brisket edema, jugular veins distention and pulsation and pale mucous membranes. Hematologic abnormality i...

Recently, cavitation on the surface of mechanical heart valves has been studied as a cause of fractures occurring in implanted mechanical heart valves. The cause of cavitation in mechanical heart valves was investigated using the 25 mm Medtronic Hall valve and the 23 mm Omnicarbon valve. Closing of these valves in the mitral position was simulated in an electrohydraulic totally artificial heart...