Timing of reoperation of degenerated aortic and mitral bioprostheses

• Published in: Zeitschrift für Kardiologie Vol. 90; no. Suppl 6; p. 70
• Main Authors: Vogt, P R, Brunner-Larocca, H P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.12.2001
• ISSN: 0300-5860

Reoperative surgery for degenerated aortic and mitral valve bioprostheses has a considerable mortality. This study compares life expectancy, mode of failure and predictors for emergency reoperation and reoperative mortality between degenerated aortic and mitral bioprostheses. A total of 265 bioprosthetic valve patients, 172 aortic and 93 mitral patients, were followed to assess the time period between first and redo valve replacement. Mean life expectancy for aortic bioprostheses was 10.4 ± 4.3 (2 to 28.6) years, whereas it was 10.0 ± 3.7 (0.9 to 20) years for mitral bioprostheses (group M). Emergency reoperation had to be performed in 31/172 group A (18 %) and 16/93 group M (17 %) patients. In group A, the reoperative mortality was 5.2 %; it was 1.4 % for elective and 22.6 % for emergency reoperation (p < 0.0001; OR = 20.3). Reoperative mortality in group M patients was 5.4 % and did not differ between elective and emergency surgery. Group A patients who died at reoperation had higher transvalvular gradients before the first operation (p = 0.007), received smaller sized bioprostheses (p = 0.03) and had a higher incidence of coronary artery disease (p = 0.001) and pulmonary artery hypertension (p = 0.009) acquired during the interval. Endocarditis being the reason for primary surgery (p = 0.004), postoperative pneumonia after the first procedure (p = 0.005), pulmonary artery hypertension (p = 0.0004), later recurrence of symptoms of valve degeneration (p = 0.04), acute onset of bioprosthetic regurgitation (p = 0.00002) and a lower left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.03) were risk factor for emergency surgery. There were no predictors of reoperative mortality identified in mitral valve patients. The life expectancy of aortic and mitral bioprostheses is acceptable even in a relatively young patient population (mean age 46 ± 13 in group A and 45 ± 12 years in group M patients). Patients with degenerated aortic bioprostheses undergoing emergency reoperation have an extraordinary high reoperative mortality. They can be identified as patients who had a history of endocarditis and higher transvalvular gradients prior to the first operation, who received smaller sized bioprostheses and acquired coronary artery disease and pulmonary artery hypertension during the interval. Thus, emergency reoperation is preventable, increasing overall life expectancy of patients with bioprostheses. There were no risk factors for reoperative mortality identified in bioprosthetic mitral valve patients.