title: Bovine pericardial bioprosthesis in mitral position. A ten-year follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pericardial bovine prosthesis Pericarbon should offer some advantages in comparison with the former generations, because its development is focused on solving previous problems and resulted in the variation of the pericardial fixation method, of valve structure and of stent coating. This hypothesis was evaluated through a retrospective follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1985 and 1989, 78 Pericarbon prostheses O 29 were implanted in mitral position by the same surgeon. All patients received warfarin for the first three months to maintain an International Normalized Ratio between 2.5 and 3.5; after which they received antiaggregant therapy indefinitely. With an average follow-up period of 7.34 years for a total of 573 patient-years, we evaluated perioperative and late mortality, late morbidity (thromboembolic and haemorrhagic events, reoperations, primary tissue failures, endocarditic events) and patient clinical conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perioperative mortality was 1.28% (1/78), late mortality was 11.6% (9/77) with 5 valve-related deaths. 5-year survival was 93% and 10-year survival 97%. Fifteen patients required reoperation for prosthetic replacement, fourteen for primary tissue failure. There were ten minor thromboembolic events, one major event, one haemorrhage and one prosthetic endocarditis (the last two with patient exitus). After 10 years (75% of patients were in New York Heart Association class I-II.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Besides the known better haemodynamic performance, Pericarbon bioprosthesis seems to present a survival and redofreedom curve comparable to the best porcine prosthesis, with less incidence of endocarditis, thromboembolic events and prosthesis leakage.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Molinette Hospital, University of Torino.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Actis Dato
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caimmi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aidala
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bardi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trichiolo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flocco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trimboli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Summa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poletti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014859:Warfarin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014859:Warfarin