title: Strut fracture in the new Bjørk-Shiley mitral valve prosthesis.
abstract: The case of a patient with the new type Bjørk-Shiley aortic and mitral valve prosthesis is described. Three months after implant she suffered acute heart failure and died. Post-mortem examination revealed a fractured outlet strut in the mitral valve prosthesis with dislocation of the disc. The fracture was regarded as due to excessive brittleness caused by demonstrated deposition of chromium-tungsten-carbide.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*