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Surgical Treatment of Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis with Homograft Aortic Valve Replacement
Author(s) -
KIRKLIN JAMES K.,
PACIFICO ALBERT D.,
KIRKLIN JOHN W.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8191.1989.tb00301.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocarditis , aortic valve replacement , aortic valve , surgery , aortic root , valve replacement , prosthesis , cardiology , aorta , stenosis
A bstract This article presents the University of Alabama experience with homograft aortic valve replacement for prosthetic valve endocarditis. Of 117 patients who have undergone homograft aortic valve replacement since 1981, there has been a total of 22 patients who underwent operation for endocarditis. Sixteen were isolated valve replacements, three combined with other procedures, and three were aortic root replacements. When placed in a setting of active endocarditis, there have been no reoperations for endocarditis of the homograft valve. Surgical techniques are presented for the freehand sewn homograft as well as aortic root replacement. Prosthetic valve endocarditis is a highly lethal event and when aortic valve replacement is advised in this setting, we believe a homograft aortic valve should be implanted whenever possible.