Valve Replacement in Hemodialysis Patients in Japan / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

A retrospective review was performed on 43 patients on hemodialysis undergoing valve surgery between May 1999 and August 2004. Ages ranged from 36 to 80 years (mean, 63.8 years). Twenty aortic, 9 mitral, 8 aortic and mitral and 6 valvuloplasties were performed. Twenty-three aortic mechanical valves, 5 aortic bioprosthetic valves, 13 mitral mechanical valves and 4 mitral bioprosthetic valves were implanted. Twenty-five of the 28 aortic valve replacement were hypoplasia of the aortic valve ring. There were 3 hospital deaths (heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis). There were 10 late deaths (2 heart failure, 2 pneumonia, wound infection, cerebral infarction, 2 cancer, arteriosclerosis obliterans and unknown death). Survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 81%, 74% and 47%. There were three documented major bleedings or thromboembolisms in the 29 patients with mechanical valves (10%) and none in the 9 patients with bioprosthetic valves (0% no significance). Three reoperations were performed for premature degeneration of bioprosthetic valve (19, 24 and 50 months) due to accelerated calcification. These results demonstrate that the prosthetic valve-related major bleedings and strokes in hemodialysis patients are similar for both mechanical and bioprosthetic valves, and that bioprosthetic valves will undergo premature degeneration. Therefore, preference should be given to mechanical valve prostheses in hemodialysis patients.