INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY AND SURGERY Comparison of outcomes after aortic valve replacement with a mechanical valve or a bioprosthesis using microsimulation

s of the studies obtained were screened for those that examined outcomes following aortic valve replacement. References in these reports were cross checked for other relevant studies. This resulted in 76 published reports for mechanical valves and 68 for bioprostheses. The following criteria for each valve type were then stipulated in order to obtain homogeneous groups of studies: N Valves 19–33 mm in size, not focusing on a particular size or range. N Patients .15 years of age; mean age of the study populations, > 50 years. N Predominantly first time aortic valve replacement (. 90%). N Aortic valve replacement with or without concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or any other valve repair procedure, but excluding other valve replacements. Abbreviations: EFLE, event-free life expectancy; SVD, structural valvar deterioration; UKHVR, United Kingdom Heart Valve Registry 1172 www.heartjnl.com group.bmj.com on September 10, 2017 Published by http://heart.bmj.com/ Downloaded from