Premium
Body donation as a grateful gift for a long and active life with a Björk‐Shiley valve
Author(s) -
Rudolph Kevin,
Galvez Carlos,
Chang Julie,
Wu Anette,
Gölkel Camilla,
Sündermann Simon H.,
Kielstein Heike
Publication year - 2020
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/jocs.14922
Subject(s) - medicine , heart valve , surgery , dissection (medical) , cardiology
An 87‐year‐old patient donated his body to the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology in gratefulness for the longevity of a Björk‐Shiley convexo‐concave (BSCC) prosthetic aortic valve, implanted 34 years ago. The dissection of the enlarged heart showed no major signs of thrombosis, malignant fibrosis, or any other relevant issue that could potentially lead to valve failure as in other patients. Despite the reported high mortality rate of the earlier designs, especially of the BSCC valves, some patients survived for longer than expected. In more than 34 years after the BSCC valve implantation, the patient was a very active and lively man, working both as full‐time and volunteer firefighter. The lifespan of this BSCC valve is among the longest reported.