title: Aortic valve replacement using continuous suture technique in patients with aortic valve disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The continuous suture (CS) technique has several advantages as a method for simple, fast, and secure aortic valve replacement (AVR). We used a simple CS technique without the use of a pledget for AVR and evaluated the surgical outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between October 2007 and 2012, 123 patients with aortic valve disease underwent AVR alone (n=28) or with other concomitant cardiac procedures (n=95), such as mitral, tricuspid, or aortic surgery. The patients were divided into two groups: the interrupted suture (IS) group (n=47), in which the conventional IS technique was used, and the CS group (n=76), in which the simple CS technique was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were two hospital deaths (1.6%), which were not related to the suture technique. There were no significant differences in cardiopulmonary bypass time or aortic cross-clamp time between the two groups for AVR alone or AVR with concomitant cardiac procedures. In the IS group, two patients had prosthetic endocarditis and one patient experienced significant perivalvular leak. These patients underwent reoperations. In the CS group, there were no complications related to the surgery. Postoperatively, the two groups had similar aortic valve gradients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The simple CS method is useful and secure for AVR in patients with aortic valve disease, and it may minimize surgical complications, as neither pledgets nor braided sutures are used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jong Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyung Hwa
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Min Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ja Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kuh
authors.forename: Jung Ku
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Jo
keywords: Aortic valve; Outcome assessment; Surgical procedure, operative; Suture techniques