[Detection of infectious agents in heart valves during endocarditis using PCR technique].

Infectious endocarditis can be caused by various microorganisms. Diagnostics of local infection by microbiological methods is not always effective. For that reason we performed a study aimed for direct detection of potential infectious agents by polymerase chain reaction in patients' heart valve tissue. DNA of infectious agents was revealed in 72% of heart valve tissue samples from patients with septic endocarditis; in studied samples, along with bacterial DNA, herpesviruses' DNA was detected. Obtained results confirm the presence of infection, which allows to perform specific diagnostics of infectious complications after implantation of prosthetic cardiac valves.

[Effects of implantation technique on hydrodynamic and biomechanical characteristics of stentless aortic valve bioprostheses in experiments]. / Vliianie tekhniki implantatsii na potokovye i biomekhanicheskie kharakteristiki beskarkasnykh bioprotezov aortal'nogo klapana v éksperimente.

A comparative analysis of experiments with biomechanics and hydrodynamic stentless xenografts implanted into the subcoronary position with completely (n = 7) and partially (n = 7) scalloped sinuses was made. The implantation was performed into the human aortic root complexes in vitro. Factors of the influence on biomechanical and hydrodynamic performances of xenografts before and after implantation have been established. Subcoronary implantation of stentless bioprostheses with the completely scalloped sinuses proved to result in better flow and biomechanical characteristics than the implantation technique with the saved noncoronary sinus.