title: Performance of the Hancock porcine bioprosthesis following aortic valve replacement: considerations based on a 15-year experience.
abstract: All patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement with a standard Hancock porcine bioprosthesis (PB), from 1970 to 1983, were reviewed. There were 196 patients, 162 male and 34 female patients, with a mean age of 48 +/- 12 years. Operative survivors were followed up from 3 to 15.6 years (mean follow-up, 6.6 +/- 1.5 years), with a cumulative follow-up of 1,140 patient-years, being 100% complete. Actuarial survival was 51 +/- 15% at 14 years. Eight patients sustained systemic embolic episodes (0.7 +/- 0.2%/patient-year); actuarial freedom from emboli is 89.4 +/- 4.3% at 14 years. Reoperation was performed in 53 patients: in 6 because of endocarditis (0.5 +/- 0.2%/patient-year), in 7 because of perivalvular leak (0.6 +/- 0.2%/patient-year), and in 40 because of PB primary tissue failure (3.5 +/- 0.5%/patient-year). Actuarial freedom from PB-related deaths, PB failure, and overall PB-related complications at 14 years was 66.3 +/- 19, 34.3 +/- 11, and 30 +/- 10%, respectively. This long-term experience shows that the performance of the Hancock PB appears satisfactory up to 8 years, while it progressively deteriorates beyond 10 years because of the impact of primary tissue failure on valve durability, justifying the restriction of its use in the aortic position in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Padova Medical School, Italy.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Milano
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bortolotti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazzucco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stellin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Talenti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thiene
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gallucci
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D001021:Aortic Valve; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D012086:Reoperation; D013997:Time Factors