Abstract
219 patients undergoing valve replacement with Hancock porcine bioprosthetic and another type of prosthetic valve, were evaluated. Cumulative follow-up is 627 patient-years (mean 3.1 years). Hospital mortality was 6.4%. Late mortality was 2.2% per patient-year; overall actuarial survival was 85 ± 3% at 4 years and no death thereafter. The incidence of emboli was 2.6% per patient-year for all patients with bioprostheses alone. There were two fatal cerebral emboli (0.3% per patient-year). There were no emboli for all patients with aortic valve replacement under no anticoagulant therepy. Primary tissue failure occurred in 3 patients; 2 were younger than 15 years old. Five patients had valve failure secondary to endocarditis. Actuarial late survival free from primary tissue failure was 98 ± 1% at 4 years, and 88 ± 9% at 7 years. The incidences of thromboembolism and primary tissue failure remain acceptably low through 7.5 years of follow-up period. From these results, we conclude that the Hancock valve is still a choice for cardiac valve replacement.
