Impact of Suture Techniques for Aortic Valve Replacement on Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch

Background. Many variables may affect the hemodynamic performance of the aortic valve prosthesis, and suture technique remains an important factor for determining maximum valve performance. The objective of this study was to determine the suture technique that produces better hemodynamic performance for aortic valve replacement (AVR). Methods. Patients who underwent AVR between January 2015 and September 2018 in our institution were analyzed. We compared the preoperative clinical information and 1-year postoperative hemodynamic data of interrupted pledget mattress sutures (pledgeted group), interrupted nonpledget mattress sutures (nonpledgeted group), and figure-of-8 nonpledget sutures (figure-of-eight group). We compared the incidence of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) and cardiac adverse events among the groups and subanalyzed the PPM rate in a small aortic annulus (18 to 21 mm). Results. A total of 439 patients underwent AVR (pledgeted, n = 212; nonpledgeted, n = 122; figure-of-eight, n = 105). The groups were similar in age (P = .359), sex (P = .055), underlying disease, and valve pathology. There was no difference in inhospital mortality or cardiac adverse events in each suture group (P = .282). The nonpledgeted suture had significantly lower moderate (P < .01) and severe PPM rates (P = .01) in patients with a small aortic annulus (18 to 21 mm). Conclusions. The interrupted nonpledget mattress suture offers complete supraannular implantation, which reduces the incidence of PPM and results in better hemodynamic improvement after small-size AVR. (C) 2020 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons