BACKGROUND Because of risk of outlet strut fracture, prophylactic replacement should be considered for Björk-Shiley convexo-concave (BScc) valve recipients. We assessed the effects of epidemiological and decision-analytic guidelines on actual BScc valve replacement. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a retrospective cohort study including all 2263 Dutch BScc patients with a mean follow-up of 11...

OBJECTIVE To compare the results of the root reconstruction with the aortic valve-sparing operation versus composite graft-valve replacement. METHODS From January 2002 to October 2013, 324 patients underwent aortic root reconstruction. They were 263 composite graft-valve replacement and 61 aortic valve-sparing operation (43 reimplantation and 18 remodeling). Twenty-six percent of the patients...

BACKGROUND Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) occurs in patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease even after mitral valve surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze surgical results of TR after previous successful mitral valve surgery. METHODS From September 1996 to September 2008, 45 patients with TR after previous mitral valve replacement underwent second operation for TR. In tho...

Correspondence to: Professor Christian Seiler, University Hospital, Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern, Freiburgstrasse, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland; christian. [email protected] _________________________ F or most haemodynamically relevant heart valve lesions, surgical therapy remains the treatment of choice. It has been consistently shown to provide long lasting relief of symptoms, and its s...

BACKGROUND The initial trial in tricuspid surgery is repair; however, replacement is done whenever the valve is badly diseased. Tricuspid valve replacement comprises 1.7% of all tricuspid valve surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 21 cases who underwent tricuspid valve replacement from January 2002 until the end of Decembe...

When bioprosthetic cardiac valves fail, reoperative valve replacement carries a higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with initial valve replacement. Transcatheter heart valve implantation may be a viable alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for high-risk patients with native aortic stenosis, and valve-in-valve (V-in-V) implantation has been successfully performed for fail...

The calculation and comparison of relative survival rates after interventional studies is a method that permits correction for important demographic variables, thereby adjusting for the "background mortality" in the general population. Long-term relative survival rates were analyzed in a consecutive series of 2,805 Swedish patients who, on the basis of clinical symptoms, underwent aortic valve ...

Valvular heart disease is a major public health issue. The prevalence of valvular heart disease is expected to increase due to an aging population. Valve dysfunction manifests as valve stenosis, regurgitation, or both, due to various etiologies. Valve repair and replacement are the main treatment options for severe valve dysfunction. Valve replacement is achieved by using either a mechanical or...

Recently, there have been more reports of cardiac valve infections due to the increasing number of intravenous (IV) drug abusers and chronic renal failure patients. Among cardiac valves, tricuspid valve is most commonly affected in the course of endocarditis. Appropriate management of these patients is a challenging and controversial issue in the field of cardiac surgery. Treatment options in s...