title: The outcomes of triple-valve surgery: eleven years' experience from a single center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Triple-valve surgery is a challenging and complex procedure with significant risk, even at centers experienced at performing such operations. The study aim was to investigate the early and late outcomes of this surgery, performed at a single center for the past 11 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 45 consecutive patients (19 males, 26 females; mean age 69.42 +/- 12.72 years) underwent triple-valve surgery at the authors' institution between 2000 and 2011. The mean logistic EuroSCORE was 22.46 +/- 12.8%. The most common aortic valve pathology was calcific degeneration (40%), while the mitral valves were mostly rheumatic (31%) or degenerative (26%). The tricuspid valve pathology was functional regurgitation in 64% of patients. The aortic valve procedures were all replacements, while the mitral valves were either repaired (n = 20) or replaced (n = 25). The tricuspid valves were almost exclusively repaired (n = 43). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to highlight predictors of mortality. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The operative mortality was 8.9% (n = 4). Survival at one, three, and five years was 91%, 85.5% and 66.4%, respectively. Morbidity was not particularly high: the incidence of all postoperative neurological complications was 13%, that of transient renal impairment was 18%, and pacemaker implantation 8.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of triple-valve surgery were considerably improved compared to historical reports. Early mortality was close to that occurring after less complex procedures, while late survival was comparable to that after single-valve surgery. It is believed that the best results are achieved by centers experienced in valve procedures. Compared to older studies, rheumatic disease was not the most frequent requirement for of triple-valve surgery among the present patients.
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Nikolaidis
authors: Apostolos
authors: A
authors: Roubelakis
authors: Dimos
authors: D
authors: Karangelis
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Hanratty
authors: Clifford W
authors: CW
authors: Barlow
authors: Geoffrey M K
authors: GM
authors: Tsang
authors: Steve A
authors: SA
authors: Livesey
authors: Sunil K
authors: SK
authors: Ohri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000601:surgery*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000601:surgery