Is the St. Jude Medical mechanical valve an appropriate choice for elderly patients?: A long-term retrospective study measuring quality of life.
OBJECTIVE
The selection of a suitable valve substitute in patients requiring valvular heart surgery is an important element in the preoperative decision-making process between cardiologist, surgeon, and patient. Controversy persists regarding the use of mechanical valves in the elderly. With the population living longer, reoperative risk becomes of paramount importance. Quality of life (QOL) considerations are often as important to the patient as longevity. The influence of mechanical valve replacement on QOL in elderly patients has not been well documented.


METHODS
Between June 1981 and December 1999, a total of 1,125 consecutive patients aged > or = 65 years (582 men, 543 women; mean age 71.4 +/- 4.9 years) underwent valve replacement with at least one St. Jude Medical (SJM) mechanical valve. Preoperatively, 138 patients (12.3%) were in NYHA class II, 775 (68.9%) in class III, and 212 (18.8%) in class IV. In 535 patients (47.6%), coronary artery disease required surgical intervention. Survivors were administered the Short Form (SF)-36 QOL Survey at follow up, which was 96.1% complete.


RESULTS
Hospital mortality was 7.6% (85/1,125). Mean follow up was 5.9 years (range: 9 months to 18.4 years). Mean (+/- SEM) actuarial survival was 70.6 +/- 1.4% at five years, and 40.6 +/- 2.0% at 10 years. Male patients scored significantly higher on the SF-36 than controls in physical (p = 0.012) and mental health (p = 0.004). Comparing female patients with controls revealed no significant difference in physical health; however, they scored higher in mental health than controls (p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The study results clearly demonstrate that heart surgery in the elderly with the SJM mechanical valve can be accomplished with acceptable hospital mortality, morbidity, and excellent long-term results. Moreover, long-term QOL in elderly patients with a SJM valve can be expected to meet or exceed that of age- and gender-matched controls.
Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, Cardiovascular Surgeons, P.A., Orlando, Florida 32801, USA. KAccola@aol.com
Kevin D
KD
Accola
Meredith L
ML
Scott
S David
SD
Spector
Paul A
PA
Thompson
George J
GJ
Palmer
Mark E
ME
Sand
Jorge E
JE
Suarez-Cavalier
George
G
Ebra
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome