title: The early risk of re-replacement of aortic valves.
abstract: One hundred two patients underwent re-replacement of the aortic valve, 95 having a first reoperation, 6 a second, and 1 a third. The early (30-day) mortality among the 81 patients undergoing an elective first reoperation was 3.7% (with 70% confidence limits of 1.63% and 7.32%). Fourteen patients undergoing their first reoperation did so urgently, and 6 (42.9%) died early postoperatively. Technical problems during reoperation were uncommon. Fifteen of the 102 patients underwent reoperation because of infection in or around the device; 2 (13.3%) died early postoperatively, and at least 3 more died within nine months of operation. These data, with their 70% confidence limits, are useful in arriving at a decision for or against reoperation in individual patients.
mesh_terms: D000407:Alabama; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D012306:Risk