title: Malfunction of a St. Jude medical heart valve in mitral position.
abstract: Early postoperative intermittent malfunction in a St. Jude mitral valve prosthesis is described. The patient underwent reoperation and had an uneventful recovery. After explantation, the prosthesis underwent laboratory examination. The findings included a minimal disproportion between leaflets and valve ring causing intermittent inhibition of leaflet motion. The unpredictable irregularity of the malfunction phenomenon in vivo, confirmed by laboratory investigations, is explained as a result of a changing myocardial tension status sufficient to alter the ring to leaflet proportion of the valve in either direction.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004452:Echocardiography; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D010701:Phonocardiography; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000150:complications