OBJECTIVE Biological aortic valve conduits are rarely used because of the concern that possible structural valve deterioration would require complete conduit replacement in a technically demanding operation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the 10-year experience with complete aortic-root replacement using a modified composite graft in which biological valve prosthesis was located inside th...

BACKGROUND Percutaneous aortic valve replacement is a new emerging technology for interventional treatment of severe aortic valve stenosis in surgical high-risk patients. This study was intended to provide a summary of the development and current safety and efficacy status of the self-expanding CoreValve Revalving prosthesis. METHOD AND RESULTS Between 2005 and 2008, we have enrolled 136 cons...

Objective: To compare survival and outcome in patients receiving a mechanical or bioprosthetic heart valve prosthesis. Design: Randomised prospective trial. Setting: Tertiary cardiac centre. Patients: Between 1975 and 1979, patients were randomised to receive either a Bjork-Shiley or a porcine prostheses. The mitral valve was replaced in 261 patients, the aortic in 211, and both valves in 61 pa...

BACKGROUND Several centers favor replacing a diseased native heart valve with a tissue rather than a mechanical prosthesis, even in younger adult patients. However, long-term data supporting this approach are lacking. We examined the survival implications of selecting a tissue versus a mechanical prosthesis at initial left-heart valve replacement in a cohort of adults <60 years of age who were ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Conduction disturbances often occur after CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The aim was to analyze which cardiac conduction changes occur in patients with aortic stenosis treated with this type of prosthesis. METHODS A total of 181 patients with severe aortic stenosis treated with this prosthesis and studied by electrocardiography between April 200...

We present the case of a 54-year-old woman in which a diffuse congenital supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) was associated with a severe aortic valve incompetence and heavy calcification of the aortic annulus. Repair consisted in resection of the ascending aorta, patch augmentation of the hypoplastic aortic root and annulus, placement of a 20 mm Dacron tubular graft (Vascutek, Renfrewshire, U...

This 33-year-old patient had had emergency surgery 11 years earlier, at age 22 years, for acute dissection of the ascending aorta involving the main stem of the left coronary artery with grade 4 regurgitation of the aortic valve. The aortic valve and the ascending aorta were replaced with a conduit consisting of a biological prosthetic aortic valve and an aortic prosthesis (Bentall’s technique)...

Abstract We report 3 cases of excessive oozing after aortic arch replacement using the frozen elephant trunk technique through fabric branched Cryolife-Jotec Evita Open NEO hybrid prosthesis. After weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, protamine administration as well standard substitution plasmatic and cellular coagulation adjusted to thrombelastometry, persisted leading a complicated postopera...

BACKGROUND The complex anatomy of the aortic annulus warrants the use of three dimensional (3D) modalities for prosthesis sizing in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) has been used for this purpose, but its use may be restricted because of contrast administration. 3D transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) lacks this limitation and data on co...

BACKGROUND The impact of aortic prosthesis-patient mismatch (P-PtM) on long-term survival is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 1985 and 2000, 388 patients at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) with 19- or 21-mm St Jude Medical prostheses and had transthoracic echocardiography within 1 year after AVR. Mean age of patients was 62+/-13 years; 69% were fem...