Prosthetic aortic valve replacement for aortic valve endocarditis remains a primary practice of most cardiac surgeons. Usually it cures endocarditis and restores cardiac function. However, in advanced aortic valve endocarditis with complex annular destruction, complications following prosthetic aortic valve replacement do occur and present a formidable challenge for reoperation. Herein, we desc...

Aortic valve replacement accounts for a significant portion of cardiac surgeries in the United States. Despite advances in prosthetic heart valve design, surgical technique, and postoperative care, complications after aortic valve replacement remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Routine surveillance of prosthetic heart valves with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transesophag...

INTRODUCTION Pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves are at increased risk for valve thrombosis. Management decisions for this life-threatening complication are complex. Open-heart surgery has a very high risk of maternal mortality and fetal loss. Bleeding and embolic risks associated with thrombolytic agents, the limited efficacy of thrombolysis in certain subgroups, and a lack ...

Introduction Late complications such as hemolysis and thrombus formation in patients with an implanted prosthetic heart valve have been related to fluid dynamic characteristics [ 11. Specific blood flow patterns such as flow reversal and vortex flow have been considered to contribute to thrombus formation [2]. In order to detect alterations of flow fields around prostheses in humans MR velocity...

CHEST, 75: 4, APRIL, 1979 PULMONARY ARTERY-BRONCHIAL FISTULA 515 signs in endocarditis following prosthetic valve replacement. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 58:554-557, 1968 3 Sutton CC, Wright JEC: Major detachment of aortic prosthetic valves. Br Heart J 32:337-343, 1970 4 Chandraratna PAN, Lopez JM, Hildner FJ, et al: Diagnosis of Bjork-Shiley aorticvalve dysfunction by echocardiography. Am Heart ...

Valve replacement remains common in the adult patient despite advances in valve repair. While a physical examination can alert the clinician to the presence of valve dysfunction, diagnostic methods are often needed to assess the function of the prosthesis. Echocardiography with Doppler is currently the method of choice for non-invasive evaluation of prosthetic valves. A recently published "Guid...

AIMS The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term results of allograft and prosthetic valve replacement in the treatment of infective aortic valve endocarditis with periannular abscess. METHODS Between March 1988 and March 1996, 65 patients underwent surgery for active aortic valve endocarditis and paravalvular abscess. The indications for surgery were congestive heart failure, systemic...

BACKGROUND Cardiac disease in pregnancy is a common problem in under-resourced countries and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. A large proportion of patients with cardiac disease have prosthetic mechanical heart valve replacements, warranting prophylactic anticoagulation. AIM To evaluate obstetric outcomes in women with prosthetic heart valves in an under-resourced coun...