The valve replacement with St. Jude Medical cardiac valve was undertaken in 20 patients between July, 1978 and October, 1979 (AVR 8, MVR 7, TVR 1, AVR+MVR 2, MVR+TVR 1, AVR+MVR+TVR 1). One patient in AVR died on fifth postoperative day from pulmonary edema, and three patients in MVR died in the hospital from low cardiac output syndrome (two patients) and arrhythmia (one patient). In the eight patients who had postoperative cardiac catheterization, the mean resting cardiac output was 5.48L/min, LV/Ao pressure gradient in the AVR group was not recognized and transvalvar gradient in the MVR was 7.5±4.50mmHg. In the single mitral valve replacement, intraoperative mean left atrial pressure was 24.7±4.21mmHg, and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was 15.5±4.50mmHg in the postoperative cardiac catheterization.
In conclusion, the St. Jude Medical cardiac valve was hemodynamically excellent, but in the single MVR our result was not so good.
