From May 1990 to January 1994, one hundred and twenty (120) patients underwent aortic valve replacement with the use of the porcine aortic stentless valve. This group comprised of eighty-three (83) male and thirty-seven (37) female patients. The age ranged from eleven (11) to seventy-six (76) years with a mean of 36. There were 85 patients under 40 years of age. Sixty-four patients (64) underwent their first aortic valve replacement due to rheumatic heart disease, thirty (30) because of prosthetic valve failure and of those: twenty (20) due primary tissue failure and in ten (10) due to prosthetic endocarditis, native aortic bicuspid valve in eleven (11) and senile calcificant aortic valve disease in four (4). Thirty-three (33) patients had aortic annular related pathology. The functional class revealed sixty-one (61) patients in class III and fifty-nine (59) in class IV. The longest follow-up was 42 months with a mean of 26. The surgical technique used in the aortic valve surgery rendered consistent and reproducible results. The hospital mortality was 5% (6 patients). This mortality was not valve related. The hospital morbidity revealed full recovery of all patients. There were four (4) late reoperations, in two (2) due to recurrent endocarditis and in two (2) because of paravalvar leak. All patients had full recovery after the reoperation. There was a late mortality of six (6) patients (non valve related). The follow-up of these patients revealed full competent valve in ninety-seven (97) patients and only minor jet in nine (9). Most patients are in functional class I and II. The stentless concept has proven to be outstanding in the aortic position throughout the current follow-up. Although the test of time is required, we have gained confidence in the procedure due to the good clinical results.
heart valves prostheses