Abstract
The Carpentier-Edwards porcine xenograft valve was used in 21 patients at Seoul National University Hospital during the period between 1977 and 1979. Twenty-four Carpentier-Edwards valves were implanted along with 2 others. Three patients died within 30 days of operation, an operative mortality rate of 14.3%. Eighteen early survivors were followed up for a total 67.5 patient-years [mean, 45.0$\pm$32.0 months]. There were 2 late deaths with a linealized late mortality rate of 2.96%/patient-year; one died from cerebral bleeding [1.48% bleeding/patient-year] and the other from prosthetic valve endocarditis [1, 48% endocarditis/patient-year]. There was no case of thromboembolism. Two patients developed mitral regurgitation [2.96% failure/patient-year]. Symptomatic improvement was excellent. The actuarial survival rate and the probability of freedom from overall valve failure were 75.3$\pm$9.6% and 80.7$\pm$12.9% at 9 years after surgery respectively. During the period from October, 1968, through June, 1985, 1, 190 substitute heart valves were used in a total of 967 patients at Seoul National University Hospital; of which, 90.9% were either porcine aortic or bovine pericardial xenograft valves. For the evaluation of the xenograft tissue valves, the consecutive patients with lonescu-Shiley valve in the mitral, aortic and both positions, Angell-Shiley valve and Carpentier-Edwards valve were recently studied on the clinical ground. They were 531 patients, and 643 xenograft valves were used. The operative mortality rate was 6.97% and a linealized late mortality rate 2.94%/patient-year. A total of 490 early survivors were followed up for 917.6 patient-years [mean, 22.5 months], and 70% of patients completed the follow-up. The linealized incidences of complications were: 2.29% emboli/patient-year, 1.98% bleeding/patient-year, 1.20% endocarditis/patient-year, and 3.49% failure/patient-year. These clinical resutls are fully comparable with those in the major reports. The durability of the glutaraldehydepreserved xenograft heart valves remains as a great concern and a continuing debate, expecially for the group of patients in the pediatric age. The need of more durable material for the improved tissue valves was also discussed.