title: Totally biological composite aortic stentless valved conduit for aortic root replacement: 10-year experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively analyze the clinical outcome of a totally biological composite stentless aortic valved conduit (No-React® BioConduit) implanted using the Bentall procedure over ten years in a single centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 27/10/99 and 19/01/08, the No-React® BioConduit composite graft was implanted in 67 patients. Data on these patients were collected from the in-hospital database, from patient notes and from questionnaires. A cohort of patients had 2D-echocardiogram with an average of 4.3 ± 0.45 years post-operatively to evaluate valve function, calcification, and the diameter of the conduit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Implantation in 67 patients represented a follow-up of 371.3 patient-year. Males were 60% of the operated population, with a mean age of 67.9 ± 1.3 years (range 34.1-83.8 years), 21 of them below the age of 65. After a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 0.3 years (range of 2.2-10.5 years), more than 50% of the survivors were in NYHA I/II and more than 60% of the survivors were angina-free (CCS 0). The overall 10-year survival following replacement of the aortic valve and root was 51%. During this period, 88% of patients were free from valved-conduit related complications leading to mortality. Post-operative echocardiography studies showed no evidence of stenosis, dilatation, calcification or thrombosis. Importantly, during the 10-year follow-up period no failures of the valved conduit were reported, suggesting that the tissue of the conduit does not structurally change (histology of one explant showed normal cusp and conduit).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The No-React® BioConduit composite stentless aortic valved conduit provides excellent long-term clinical results for aortic root replacement with few prosthesis-related complications in the first post-operative decade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, The Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK. manuel.galinanes@gmail.com
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galiñanes
authors.forename: Ayo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meduoye
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sosnowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery*; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies