title: Allograft aortic valve replacement: long-term follow-up.
abstract: Aortic valve replacement using an allograft aortic valve has been performed on 804 patients. From December 1969 to May 1975, 124 patients received a nonviable allograft valve sterilized by incubation with low-dose antibiotics and stored for weeks by refrigeration at 4 degrees C (series 1). From June 1975 to January 1994, 680 patients received viable allograft valves, now cryopreserved early within 2 hours of collection from transplant recipient donors, 6 hours for multiorgan donor valves and 23 hours (mean) for autopsy valves from donor death. The 30-day mortality was 8.9% +/- 5% (95% confidence limits) for series I and 2.8% +/- 1% (95% confidence limits) for series II. Actuarial patient survival including hospital mortality at 15 years was 56% +/- 5% for series I and 62% +/- 5% for series II. The probability of a thromboembolic event was low, freedom at 15 years being 95% +/- 1% for patients receiving allografts with or without associated coronary bypass procedures and 81% +/- 5% for patients having allografts with other associated procedures (eg, mitral valve operations). Actuarial freedom from endocarditis was similar for the two series, 91% +/- 3% (series I) and 94% +/- 2% (series II) at 15 years. The freedom from valve incompetence, from reoperation for all causes, and from structural deterioration demonstrated clearly the inferiority of the 4 degrees C stored allograft valves. For structural deterioration as identified clinically, at reoperation and at death, freedom from this event at 15 years was 45% +/- 6% for series I and 80% +/- 5% for series II (p value for the difference is 0).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Pohlner
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Tesar
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Mau
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Gall
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000637:transplantation*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation; D015996:Survival Rate; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000209:etiology; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000401:mortality