25-year experience with 456 combined mitral and aortic valve replacement for rheumatic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Valvular heart disease in developing countries resulting from rheumatic fever is disabling and if untreated leads to congestive heart failure and death. Valve replacement has remained the procedure of choice for advanced valve disease. METHODS: Between 1973 and 1997, 456 patients underwent combined mitral and aortic valve replacement. In light of our favorable earlier experience the Starr-Edwards ball valve prostheses were implanted in 90% and 72.8% of mitral and aortic positions, respectively. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 24 years with a median of 8.5 years. RESULTS: The 30-day hospital death rate was 9.2% and late death occurred in 10.1%. A low-intensity anticoagulant regimen was followed to maintain the target prothrombin time at 1.5 times the control value. The actuarial survival at 5, 10, 20, and 24 years was 90.4%, 85.6%, 84.4%, and 82.4% per year, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the acknowledged advantage of superior durability, increased thromboresistance in our patient population, and its cost effectiveness the Starr-Edwards ball valve is the mechanical prosthesis of choice for advanced combined valvular disease. The low-intensity anticoagulant regimen has offered sufficient protection against thromboembolism as well as hemorrhage.

Use of aspirin as the sole antiplatelet agent following prosthetic valve replacement in rheumatic heart disease.

Aspirin was administered as the sole antiplatelet agent in 147 patients following valve replacement, who were at low risk for thromboembolism. Of these, 67 underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR), 61 aortic valve replacement (AVR) and 19 combined aortic and mitral valve replacement (DVR). The mean follow up period was 6.63 years (range 1-14 years). The incidence of thromboembolic episodes (TEE) in patients following MVR, AVR, and DVR was 0.41, 0.80 and nil respectively. The TEE free survival at the first year follow-up was 98.4%, 99.3% and 100% in patients following MVR, AVR and DVR respectively. Fatal intracranial haemorrhage was not encountered. Valve thrombosis in this patient population was not seen. In conclusion, aspirin as the sole antiplatelet agent appears to be safe and effective following prosthetic valve replacement in selected patients. Further studies involving larger number of patients are necessary to confirm these results.

Aortic valve replacement with concomitant open mitral valvotomy--early results and long term followup in 72 consecutive patients.

Experience with 72 consecutive subjects, who underwent aortic valve replacement with open mitral valvotomy is presented. Mean age was 30 years and history of rheumatic fever was forthcoming in 80%. 91.7% patients had aortic regurgitation--with or without aortic stenosis. 45% patients had pulmonary hypertension. Starr Edwards (51.4% and Bjork Shiley valves (45.8%) were commonly used. There were no early deaths. All patients were followed up for 1 to 19 years (mean = 9 years). There were 4 (5.5%) late deaths. 4.1% patients developed mild restenosis of the mitral valve over a mean period of 8 years and 1.04% developed mitral regurgitation mandating mitral valve replacement. A notable feature of this series is the low incidence of thromboembolism-free lives at upto 10 years followup despite receiving only aspirin in place of coumarin anticoagulation. We believe aortic valve replacement and open mitral valvotomy is a worthy alternative to double valve replacement in view of its zero hospital mortality, low late mortality, low incidence of restenosis, low thromboembolic episodes and the avoidance of coumarin anticoagulation.

Report of four cases of aneurysm complicating patch aortoplasty for repair of coarctation of the aorta.

Patch aortoplastry, used almost routinely in the period 1972-86, except in infants in the operative treatment of coarctation of aorta, is sometimes complicated by late formation of true or false aneurysms. This complication, which seems likely to increase with longer follow-up, calls into question the advisability of patch aortoplasty except when it has specific advantages. Other surgical techniques such as subclavian flap angioplasty in infants and young children or radical excision with end-to-end anastomosis may be preferable where there is no anatomical contraindication. In any case, lifelong yearly review of postoperative patients should include chest X-ray and further investigation by computerized tomography scanning or other suitable imaging of those with suspicious findings.