Abstract
Hemodynamic performance and valve related complications of the 19mm St. Jude Medical-HP valve in small aortic annulus: Comparison with the 21mm St. Jude Medical standard valve. We compared hemodynamic performance and valve-related complications of the 19mm St. Jude Medical-HP valve(19HP) with those of the 21mm St. Jude Medical standard valve(21S). In the last 3 years, 46patients received these small aortic valves(19HP;n=16, 21S;n=30). By means of Doppler ultrasonic cardiography, average of peak pressure gradient was 34±20mmHg in the 19HP group and 28±14mmHg in the 21S group(N.S.). Valve-related complications such as thrombosed valve, prosthetic valve endocarditis, paravalvular leak, hemolysis, pannus were not detected in both groups. In the early postoperative period, serum lactic dehydrogenase(LDH) activity was elevated to 1081±54311/1 in 19HP and 1014±5361U/l in 21S, but it gradually decreased to the normal range in the late postoperative period. There was no significant difference of the LDH level between both groups in the entire postoperative period. From the results of the present study, hemodynamic performance of both types of the SJM valve was good and incidence of the valve-related complications was low in both groups. But we must be careful in the selection of the 19HP for small aortic annulus in view of pressure gradient.
