Assessing prosthetic heart valve function. Value of Doppler echocardiography and patient/prosthetic valve identity and follow-up card.
Doppler echocardiography is being used increasingly in the follow-up of patients with valvular heart prostheses because it provides unique hemodynamic information about flow through prosthetic valves.  A baseline checkup about 3 months after implantation is now recommended.  We therefore now supply each patient with an identity and follow-up card for each particular prosthesis.
Roudaut
R
R
H&circumflex.opital Cardiologique du Haut-L&acute.ev&circumflex.eque, Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Bordeaux, France.
Gosse
P
P
Dallocchio
M
M
D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004633:Emergency Medical Tags; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records