OBJECTIVES N-terminal B‑type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is an important biomarker for the detection of heart failure. Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) and a prosthetic heart valve are at risk for heart failure. This study aimed to determine the value of NT-proBNP in ACHD patients with a prosthetic valve and investigate its relationship with cardiac function and exercise capacity...

The evaluation of prosthetic valves can provide a unique challenge, and a thoughtful approach is required. High output states like anemia should be kept in the differential when evaluating elevated gradients across prosthetic valves. We present the case of a 69-year-old man with a Starr-Edwards prosthetic aortic valve who presented with symptoms of congestive heart failure and high transvalvula...

BACKGROUND Pannus formation may disturb the leaflet movement of the prosthetic valve. CASE PRESENTATION A 61-year-old woman presented with exertional dyspnea. She had undergone mitral valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve 31 years ago, which was replaced with a tilting disc valve 22 years ago. The present laboratory findings revealed hemolytic anemia. Echocardiography showed an increas...

BACKGROUND Various complications lead to reoperation in patients who undergo prosthetic valve replacement where inflammatory process could be involved. The goals of this study were to identify risk factors that correlate with reoperation in patients with prosthetic heart valves and to investigate the relationship between reoperation and inflammatory gene polymorphisms. RESULTS The study inclu...

BACKGROUND Minimal data exist on the long-term survival of dialysis patients after cardiac valve surgery. Current practice guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on the management of patients with valvular heart disease proscribe the use of bioprosthetic (tissue) valves in hemodialysis patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Dialysis patients hospitalized...

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is especially suitable for examination of prosthetic valves because of the proximity of the esophagus to the heart and absence of interference with lungs and ribs. This article reviews normal and abnormal morphologic characteristics of prosthetic valves such as spontaneous echocontrast, microbubbles, strands, sutures, vegetations or thrombus. Doppler echoc...

An effective anticoagulation is critical in pregnant patients with prosthetic heart valves. Inherited disorders may interfere with the coagulation cascade and may be associated with obstetrical complications as well as with prosthetic valve-derived complications. The patient in the present case had a history of recurrent prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (PHVT) despite an effective anticoagulat...

OBJECTIVE The non-O alleles of the ABO genotype have been associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. We aimed to assess the association between blood group status and prosthetic valve thrombosis. METHODS The association between AB0 blood group status and prosthetic valve thrombosis was assessed in this retrospective study. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in 149 patients w...

OBJECTIVE Compared with reoperative aortic valve replacement for nonendocarditic causes, the contemporary risk and long-term outcomes of reoperation for aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis are ill-defined. METHODS Between December 1994 and April 2008, 313 patients underwent reoperative aortic valve replacement, of whom 152 (48.6%) had prosthetic valve endocarditis. Mean follow-up was 6.5 ± 0...