Aortic Valve Replacement

(Aaron J. Weiss M.D., Stephen M. Spindel M.D., and Farzan Filsoufi M.D. )

A significant number of clinical studies  have investigated the long-term outcomes of mechanical valves and bioprostheses.  Prosthetic heart valves are associated with several complications including  structural valve deterioration, nonstructural dysfunction, valve thrombosis,  embolism, bleeding event, endocarditis, and reoperation. The American College of Cardiology / American  Heart Association Guidelines for Reporting Morbidity and Mortality After  Cardiac Valve Interventions provide a precise definition of these  complications (See Table). These guidelines represent  a useful framework for investigating these events after heart valve surgery.

Below we report the long-term results  of mechanical and bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement. We have included  clinical studies published during the last decade with a minimum follow-up of  five years. If you click on each variable you will visualize the corresponding  table. Each table can be reorganized according to the parameters included in  the first row allowing the reader to analyze the data in a more personalized  manner. References are provided and are linked to Pubmed.