OBJECTIVE To assess the benefit for patients older than 65 years of aortic valve replacement with stentless biological heart valves in comparison with mechanical valves. DESIGN Multiple regression analysis of a retrospective follow up study. SETTING Single cardiothoracic centre. PATIENTS Between 1996 and 2001, 392 patients with a mean age of 74 years underwent aortic valve replacement wit...

Objective: To assess the benefit for patients older than 65 years of aortic valve replacement with stentless biological heart valves in comparison with mechanical valves. Design: Multiple regression analysis of a retrospective follow up study. Setting: Single cardiothoracic centre. Patients: Between 1996 and 2001, 392 patients with a mean age of 74 years underwent aortic valve replacement with ...

BACKGROUND Patients undergoing heart-valve replacement may receive a mechanical prosthesis, necessitating lifelong anticoagulant treatment, or a porcine bioprosthesis, which involves no absolute need for anticoagulants. METHODS We carried out a randomized, prospective trial to compare the durability of the Bjork-Shiley mechanical prosthesis (spherical tilting-disk model) and the incidence of ...

THE DEVELOPMENT of mitral and aortic prostheses has allowed surgery for patients with pathology of multiple valves not otherwise correctable.1' 2 Experience with this type of surgery culminated in replacement of the tricuspid, mitral, and aortic valves during one operation in certain patients with severe rheumatic heart disease.3 The present report will describe the hemodynamic findings in eigh...

BACKGROUND Cardiac disease in pregnancy is a common problem in under-resourced countries and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. A large proportion of patients with cardiac disease have prosthetic mechanical heart valve replacements, warranting prophylactic anticoagulation. AIM To evaluate obstetric outcomes in women with prosthetic heart valves in an under-resourced coun...

OBJECTIVE Mitral valve surgery can be performed through the trans-atrial or the trans-septal approach. Although the trans-atrial is the preferred method, the trans-septal approach has also been used recently and has a particular value in beating-heart mitral valve surgery. Herein we report our experience with beating-heart mitral valve surgery via trans-septal approach, and discuss its advantag...

Several prostheses are available to replace degenerative diseased aortic valves with unique advantages and disadvantages. Bioprotheses show excellent hemodynamic behavior and low risk of thromboembolic complications, but are limited by tissue deterioration. Mechanical heart valves have extended durability, but permanent anticoagulation is mandatory. Tissue engineering created a new generation h...