Analysis of Mechanical Prostheses Excised from the Aortic Valve Position

Described herein are certain clinical and morphologic findings in 33 patients who had their dysfunctioning native aortic valves replaced with a mechanical prosthesis and 4 to 302 months (mean 127) later had the mechanical prosthesis explanted because of developing prosthetic stenosis or regurgitation because of thrombus forming on a metallic disc, pannus on the cloth ring with overhanging the prosthetic orifice, or because of parabasilar regurgitation. Of the 33 patients, 25 were not infected and 8 were infected. At follow-up at least 23 of the 25 patients without infection and 7 of the 8 patients with prosthetic infection survived >1 year after the prosthetic valve explantation. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Automated summary

The study found that the majority of patients survived more than 1 year after undergoing mechanical prosthesis explantation, with most patients experiencing prosthetic infection. Thrombus formation and prosthetic infection were identified as the main causes of mechanical prosthetic valve damage.