title: Outcomes after heart valve replacement surgery at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart valve surgery is the second most common type of cardiac surgery. However, there is limited information about the outcomes associated to these types of surgeries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review was performed in 91 Puerto Rican patients who underwent elective heart valve replacement surgery at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (CCPRC) between January 2004 and January 2005. Demographic features, comorbidities, electrocardiographic findings, surgical data, length of hospitalization, and associated in-hospital complications were determined. Data were examined using Fisher's exact test, chi-square test, analysis of variance and student t test to analyze differences between the study groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the study population was 61.1 +/- 13.2 years; 48 patients (52.7%) were males. Sixty-one patients (67.0%) had aortic valve replacement whereas thirty patients (33.0%) had mitral valve replacement. Patients with aortic valve replacement were older (63.1 +/- 13.5 years vs. 56.0 +/- 11.2 years, p < 0.05) and more likely to present left ventricular hypertrophy (57.4% vs. 16.7%, p < 0.05) than patients with mitral valve replacement. On the other hand, patients with mitral valve replacement presented more frequently atrial fibrillation (43.3% vs. 9.8%, p < 0.05) than those with aortic valve replacement. The estimated in-hospital mortality rate was 1.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A review of heart valve replacement surgery conducted between January 2004 and January 2005 at the CCPRC revealed that the in-hospital mortality rates, complications, surgical times, and length of hospitalization at the CCPRC compares favorably with those reported in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. ricardo.colacioppo@upr.edu
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colacioppo-Saavedra
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Castro
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Angel M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mayor
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome