OBJECTIVE Intermediate/long-term results after aortic valve replacement using bileaflet mechanical valve in children should be clarified as a standard of treatment of aortic valve disease in children. METHODS Forty-five patients aged under 15 years underwent 46 aortic valve replacements using bileaflet mechanical prosthetic valve. Patients' ages ranged from 1 to 15 years (9 years as a median ...

Considerable progress has been made in recent years toward elucidating a conceptual framework that integrates the dynamic functional structure, mechanical properties, and pathobiological behavior of the cardiac valves. This communication reviews the evolving paradigm of a continuum of heart valve structure, function, and pathobiology and explores its implications. Specifically, we discuss (1) t...

OBJECTIVE To assess the 30-day mortality, long-term survival and freedom from reoperation following surgery for prosthetic endocarditis (PVE). METHOD A retrospective analysis of data from the UK Heart Valve Registry of 322 patients who had undergone single mechanical/bioprosthetic valve replacement for PVE between 1 January 1986 and 31 December 1996. The mean age was 54.9 +/- 12.8 years and 2...

The St. Jude Medical (SJM) Regent valve was developed as a new mechanical valve by improving the conventional SJM valve. The effective orifice area is wider than that of Hemodynamic Plus (HP) series. The efficacy of the new valve has been reported in Europe and the United States. On October 26, 2004, we first performed aortic valve replacement (AVR) with the SJM Regent valve for aortic valve st...

OBJECTIVE To analyze intraoperative data and possible differences in clinical evolution during postoperative hospital phase for aortic valve replacement surgery using different types of prosthesis. METHODS Analysis of 60 patients divided into three groups. Valve replacement with bioprosthesis (20), mechanical prosthesis (20) and homologous valve (20). The mean age was 51.1, 60% were male and ...

In advanced energy process technologies, like the advanced pressurized circulating fluidized bed (CFB) process conceptualized by Foster Wheeler Corp., there exists a need to transport and control the flow of solids from a high pressure vessel to a low pressure vessel. Solids transport has long been done in the refinery industry and in the CFB combustor industry, but always from a low pressure v...

A 62-year-old female presented to the emergency room under suspicion of acute myocardial infarction. While shopping she suddenly experienced severe chest pain and nearly collapsed. Her medical history revealed aortic valve replacement (Medtronic Hall 22 mm) 8 years before and since 5 years repeated presentations to the emergency room because of intermittent chest pain. An initial electrocardiog...