Immediate and late results of aortic valve replacement with the Björk-Shiley tilting disc valve.
Single aortic valve replacement was performed in 110 patients at Ullevål Hospital, Oslo, between 1971 and 1976. The follow-up period was 1 to 6 years (mean 31 months). The early postoperative mortality was 6.3% and the late mortality 8.2%. Postoperatively 44% of the surviving patients were in the N.Y.H.A. functional class I and 55% in class II, while 71% of the patients were in class III or IV pre-operatively. Objective evidence of improvement was shown by reduction in mean heart volume from 610 ml/m2 pre-operatively to 512 ml/m2 postoperatively (p less than 0.001). Electrocardiographic signs of left ventricular hypertrophy, measured as the combined voltage of Smax and Rmax in V1 to V6, were 56mV pre-operatively and 42 mV postoperatively (p less than 0.001). Myocardial failure was the main cause of death postoperatively. Sudden death occurred in 5 of the 9 patients in the late mortality group. Old age at the time of operation (65 to 71 years) was not associated with increased risk of death and complications, while alcoholism did increase the mortality rate.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation