We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Mechanical Heart Valves Better Than Biological Ones

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 25 Nov 2015
Print article
A new study suggests that mechanical valve prostheses last longer and have a better survival record than biological valve prostheses.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet (Solna, Sweden) and Karolinska University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden) conducted a study among 4,545 patients (50–69 years of age) who underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) with bioprosthetic or mechanical valves in Sweden between 1997 and 2013; in all, 60% of the patients received mechanical valves and 40% received bioprostheses. The patients were distributed to 1,099 propensity score-matched patient pairs to investigate long-term all-cause mortality outcomes.

The results showed that 16% of the mechanical valve group and 20% of the bioprosthetic group died during a mean follow-up period of 6.6 years. Long-term survival was higher in the mechanical than in the bioprosthetic group when evaluated at five, 10, and 15 years, with an overall hazard ration of 1.34. There was no difference in stroke outcomes, but patients who received bioprostheses had a higher risk of aortic valve reoperation and a lower risk of major bleeding. The study was published on November 12, 2015, in European Heart Journal.

“Biological valve prostheses have been used more and more in young patients in recent years, partly because these patients don't have to take blood thinners,” said lead author Natalie Glaser, MD, a PhD student at the Karolinska Institutet department of molecular medicine and surgery, and a physician at the Karolinska University Hospital department of cardiothoracic surgery. “Our research shows that mechanical valve prostheses should be the preferred option for young patients.”

“We show that patients who had received a mechanical prosthesis had better survival rates than those who had received a biological prosthesis,” added senior author cardiac surgeon Ulrik Sartipy, MD, of the Karolinska University Hospital department of cardiothoracic surgery. “Our results are important since the trend in Sweden and abroad in recent years has been towards a greater use of biological valve prostheses in relatively young patients, which has no backing in clinical therapy guidelines.”

While mechanical valves are the longest lasting type of replacement valve, patients will usually require blood thinners to stop clots from forming, as they can lodge in valve flaps or hinges which can cause malfunction or form emboli. Bioprosthetic tissue valves can last 10–20 years, but usually do not require long-term use of medication. On the other hand, in a young person a bioprosthetic valve will usually need replacement later in life.

Related Links:

Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska University Hospital


Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Steam Sterilizer
2000 RBE

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.