Aortic valve replacement in patients with mild or moderate aortic stenosis and coronary bypass surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether there is survival benefit for patients with mild or moderate aortic stenosis if they undergo aortic valve replacement at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery.


METHODS
From 1985 to 1995 we evaluated all patients at our institution who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery and who had the echocardiographic diagnosis of mild (mean gradient <0 mm Hg and/or valve area >1.5 cm(2)) or moderate (mean gradient > or =30 and < or =40 mm Hg and/or valve area >1.0 < or =1.5 cm(2)) aortic stenosis. Using propensity analysis, survival was compared between 129 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery alone and 78 patients who underwent concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement.


RESULTS
Perioperative mortality was similar among patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery alone compared with patients who underwent concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, 1-year and 8-year survival were better at 90% and 55% for patients who underwent concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement compared with 85% and 39% for patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery alone (P <0.001). This benefit was limited to patients with moderate aortic stenosis (propensity-adjusted relative risk = 0.43; 95% confidence interval: 0.20 to 0.96; P = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Concomitant aortic valve replacement at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery for mild or moderate aortic stenosis appears to convey a survival advantage for patients with moderate aortic stenosis but not for those with mild aortic stenosis.
Department of Cardiology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Jeremy J
JJ
Pereira
Krzysztof
K
Balaban
Michael S
MS
Lauer
Bruce
B
Lytle
James D
JD
Thomas
Mario J
MJ
Garcia
D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome