Pericardial Tissue Valves Show Long-Term Stability

A multicenter study has shown that patients who received a pericardial tissue heart valve to replace their malfunctioning aortic valve have experienced excellent long-term results 17 years after implantation, with low overall complication rates. The study was presented by Dr. Michael K. Branbury of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (OH, USA) at the first biennial meeting of the Society for Heart Valve Disease in London (UK).

The study involved 267 patients who received valve implants in 1981 and 1983 and have been evaluated annually since that time. Among the parameters the researchers measured were left ventricular volume, pressure gradients across the valve, velocity, size of the valve's opening, and the presence of any aortic regurgitation. Patients were also evaluated for long-term improvements or declines. This assessment showed that while many patients preoperatively had been given the most severe classification, more than half have experienced a sustained improvement of one to two levels.

The valve implants received by all the patients in the study were the Carpentier-Edwards Perimount heart valve made of bovine pericardium, from Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (Irvine, CA, USA). "The Carpentier-Edwards aortic pericardial bioprosthesis demonstrates excellent hemodynamic stability over 17 years, with acceptable long-term transvalvular gradients and mild aortic regurgitation,” said Dr. Banbury. He also noted that pericardial valves should be considered appropriate for younger patients.




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