BACKGROUND After mechanical heart valve replacement (MHVR), long-term use of unfractionated heparin is sometimes required because vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are temporarily contraindicated or because the time to reach the target international normalized ratio is long. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of low-molecular-weight heparin treatment in these patients. METHODS...

Percutaneous valve therapy developed initially with aortic valve replacement, described by Andersen et al3 in 1992 in a swine model. These investigators fabricated a stent-mounted bioprosthetic valve and demonstrated that percutaneous implantation is feasible. Bonhoeffer et al4 reported the use of a stent-mounted bioprosthesis for pulmonic valve replacement in 2000. This achievement clearly mar...

The aim of this randomized, prospective, study was to evaluate postoperative hospital mortality and morbidity after mitral valve repair by comparing two surgical techniques for resolving mitral valve insufficiency in elderly patients. In comparison were: mitral valve repair vs. mitral valve replacement in patients older than 70 years. In period from January 1st 2006 until August 30th 2009. Eigh...

OBJECTIVE Antiplatelet agents are used for prevention of thromboembolism in surgical patients and in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Up to date, however, results of randomized studies comparing antiplatelet agents and oral anticoagulation have not been reported. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of triflusal (an antiplatelet agent) versus acenocoumarol for ...

A 54 years old male with undiagnosed chronic calcific degenerative aortic valve incompetence presented with acute left anterior chordae tendinae rupture resulting in severe left heart failure and cardiogenic shock. He was successfully treated with emergency double valve replacement using mechanical valves. The pathogenesis of acute rupture of the anterior chordae tendinae, without any evidence ...

During the period 1970-81, 183 patients underwent mitral valve surgery for chordal rupture. Of these, 82 (45%) patients were treated by mitral valve repair and 101 (55%) by mitral valve replacement. Mean age at surgery was 57 years. The early mortality was nine of 183 (4.9%) patients, of whom five had undergone replacement and four repair. During the follow up period (mean 3.6 years, range 0.8-...

BACKGROUND Mechanical valves and bioprostheses are widely used for aortic valve replacement. Though previous randomised studies indicate that there is no important difference in outcome after implantation with either type of valve, knowledge of outcomes after aortic valve replacement is incomplete. OBJECTIVE To predict age and sex specific outcomes of patients after aortic valve replacement w...

surgery. A study was made into the factors influencing the onset of jaundice in 102 patients undergoing valve replacement during cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative jaundice appeared to be correlated with double valve replacement, the co-existence of an uncorrected valvular lesion, length of perfusion and myocardial ischaemia times, and also the age of the patient. Factors appearing not to be...

The authors report a case of double-orifice mitral valve (DOMV) which showed mitral stenosis and mild insufficiency. An associated anomaly was secundum atrial septal defect. DOMV is an unusual congenital heart defect. The occurrence of this anomaly with or without secundum atrial septal defect is very rare. More often it is associated with other congenital malformations arising from atrioventri...

AIMS Because the elderly are increasingly referred for operation, we reviewed the results of cardiac surgery in patients of 80 years or older. METHODS AND RESULTS Records of 182 consecutive octogenarians who had had cardiac operations between 1992 and 1998 were reviewed. Follow-up was 100% complete. Seventy patients had coronary grafting (CABG), 70 aortic valve replacement, 30 aortic valve re...