title: Nine-year follow up of the omnicarbon prosthesis in the aortic position.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clinical experience with the Omnicarbon mechanical valve implanted in the aortic position is reported in this retrospective survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 110 patients (mean age 56 years) undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement with Omnicarbon mechanical prostheses at the authors' institution between November 1991 and October 2000 was included. Follow was available in 94.5% of patients (mean follow up 4 years per patient; total follow up was 415 patient-years (pt-yr)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hospital mortality was 3.6%. There were no instances of valve thrombosis or structural failure. The incidence of valve-related complications (linearized rates in events per 100 pt-yr/actuarial freedom at 9 years, in %) was: valve-related mortality 2.4+/-0.7 / 80.3+/-8.0; non-structural failure 0.7+/-0.4 / 93.8+/-4.2; thromboembolism 0.2+/-0.2 / 99.0+/-1.0; anticoagulant-related hemorrhage 0.9+/-0.5 / 93.7+/-3.3; prosthetic valve endocarditis 0.2+/-0.2 / 99.0+/-1.0; and reoperation 0.7+/-0.4 / 93.8+/-4.2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the authors' experience the Omnicarbon mechanical prosthesis provides a good clinical performance for up to nine years in the aortic position.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Aquilino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hurlé
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gómez-Plana
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meseguer
authors.forename: M Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Juan
authors.forename: Patricio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Llamas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome