Background: Historically, surgical replacement of the aortic root in Marfan syndrome patients involved replacing the native valve with a mechanical valve resulting in the need for life-long anticoagulation. Recently, surgeons have developed procedures that spare, rather than replace the aortic valve during aortic root replacement. The goal of this systematic review is to compare valve-sparing a...

BACKGROUND Techniques to preserve the sub-valvular apparatus in order to reduce morbidity and mortality following mitral valve replacement have been frequently reported. However, it is uncertain what impact sub-valvular apparatus preservation techniques have on long-term outcomes following mitral valve replacement. This study investigated the effect of sub-valvular apparatus preservation on lon...

Elective root replacement in Marfan syndrome has improved life expectancy in affected patients. Three forms of surgery are now available: total root replacement (TRR) with a valved conduit, valve sparing root replacement (VSRR) and personalised external aortic root support (PEARS) with a macroporous mesh sleeve. TRR can be performed irrespective of aortic dimensions and a mechanical replacement...

We presented an unique case of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after aortic valve replacement due to antithrombin III (ATIII) deficiency. PVT after aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a serious complication, which has not previously been reported.

Objective: The composite mechanical valve conduit has been most commonly used for patients who require combined aortic valve, root, and ascending aorta replacement, but is limited, especially in the elderly, because of the need for long-term anticoagulation. We report the ®rst consecutive series of patients in whom a composite stentless valve with graft extension, which does not require long-te...

Background—Leaflet escape is a mode of structural valve failure for mechanical prostheses. This complication previously has been reported for both monoleaflet and bileaflet valve models. We report 2 leaflet escape occurrences observed in 2 patients who underwent valve replacement with a TRI Technologies valve prosthesis. Methods and Results—At the University of Padua, between November 2000 and ...

SEE PAGE 1735 I n patients requiring heart valve replacement, biologic valve substitutes have been implanted with increasing frequency over the past decade. According to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database, bioprosthetic valve implants in the aortic position have increased from 43.6% in 1997 to 78.4% in 2006 (1). A similar trend has been seen for mitral valve replacement (2). The tr...

Valve prostheses have played an important part in the past two decades in the management of patients with valvular heart disease. However, many of the devices used in valve replacement have introduced new clinical problems. This paper deals with some of the problems associated with valve replacement, including one not previously emphasized valve prosthesis-patient mismatch, which may cause obst...

Mitral valve replacement in the presence of extensive calcification of the mitral annulus is a technical challenge. Dense calcification of the annulus can cause a great difficulty in the insertion of a prosthetic valve and later periprosthetic leakage. A radical calcium debridement may cause left circumflex coronary artery injury, atrioventricular rupture, and thromboembolic events. We report a...

A previously published two-part study described an engineering design of a percutaneous aortic valve (PAV) replacement system, which utilizes a novel temporary aortic valve (TAV) support to improve procedural outcomes and safety. Conceptually, this investigational approach can promote accurate PAV placement, procedural hemodynamic stability, smaller catheter delivery system, reduction in PAV re...