title: CarboMedics bileaflet prosthesis, experience with 165 uneventful implants.
abstract: With the premise of better structural design, easy rotatability and less valve-related complications CarboMedics cardiac prosthesis (CarboMedics, Inc., Austin, Texas) was launched in 1986. We reviewed our experience with 165 implants in a group of mostly rheumatic heart disease patients with a follow-up period of at least seven years and a maximum of ten years. There was no hospital mortality, significant morbidity or thromboembolism and no patient to date has experienced any valve-related event. We conclude that the clinical performance is quite satisfactory and it improves the quality of life in patients with cardiac valve prostheses. We find the rotatability feature is particularly useful especially in situations where the entire mitral apparatus is preserved during mitral valve replacement.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 55952, Riyadh, 11544, Saudi Arabia. alsadd@ksu.edu.sa
authors.forename: Ahmed A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alsaddique
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants