[Antibiotic pretreatment of heart valve prostheses]. / Pretrattamento antibiotico delle protesi valvolari.

Bacterial endocarditis on cardiac valvular prosthesis is still a frequent and dangerous complication: septicemia, embolism, valvular dysfunction and mortality. To prevent these complications, intraoperative treatment of prosthesis, by immersion in antibiotic solution, was performed in 1262 patients. The postoperative results have been compared with results of a nontreated group. The incidence of endocarditis in the treated group was 1.3%, in non-treated cases 5.45%. The cases of early endocarditis, was 0.08% of total cases of complications in the treated patients group; and 4.54% in the nontreated patient group. This study's results, confirm the utility of valvular prosthesis antibiotic treatment in cardiac surgery.

[Heart valve prosthesis, pregnancy and anticoagulant therapy]. / Protesi valvolari, gravidanza e terapia anticoagulante.

The reproductive possibilities of cardiopathic patients with cardiac valvular prostheses have greatly improved in the past forty years. The correct management of this risk pregnancies remains a problem, however, especially as regards the chronic anticoagulant treatment to which these patients are subjected. The thirty years experience of a heart surgery-obstetric team is reported here. This included 14 pregnancies in women with aortic or mitral valvular prostheses. The problems relating to anticoagulant treatment in pregnancy and during labour are discussed.