Outcomes of Nonpledgeted Horizontal Mattress Suture Technique for Mitral Valve Replacement

Background: Most surgeons favor the pledgeted suture technique for heart valve replacements because they believe it decreases the risk of paravalvular leak (PVL). We hypothesized that the use of nonpledgeted rather than pledgeted sutures during mitral valve replacement (MVR) may decrease the incidence of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and risk of a major PVL. Methods: We analyzed 263 patients, divided into 175 patients who underwent MVR with nonpledgeted sutures from January 2003 to December 2013 and 88 patients who underwent MVR with pledgeted sutures from January 1995 to December 2001. We compared the occurrence of PVL and PVE between these groups. Results: In patients who underwent MVR with or without tricuspid valve surgery and/or a Maze operation, PVL occurred in 1.1% of the pledgeted group and 2.9% of the nonpledgeted group. The incidence of PVE was 2.9% in the nonpledgeted group and 1.1% in the pledgeted group. No differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: We suggest that a nonpledgeted suture technique can be an alternative to the traditional use of pledgeted sutures in most patients who undergo MVR, with no significant difference in the incidence of PVL.