[Aortic valve replacement: technique and outcome with artificial heart valves and allografts]

Prosthetic aortic valve replacement has become a highly effective surgical treatment for aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve incompetence. After a properly timed aortic valve replacement, age- and gender-related actuarial survival can be similar to those of a normal healthy population, if serious late valve-related complications do not occur. The perioperative risk of isolated aortic valve replacement approaches 1% to 2% mainly influenced by valve- and patient-related factors such as age, left ventricular function, New York Heart Association class, preoperative hemodynamic and time of operation. Despite a number of various mechanical, bioprosthetic and biological heart valve prostheses, aortic valve replacement remains a palliative surgical treatment. Life-long anticoagulation is required by patients with mechanical heart valve prostheses, and, degeneration and subsequent reoperation is inherent in all bioprosthetic devices. The availability of cryopreserved allograft is limited and the Ross-operation is a technically demanding procedure with a somewhat higher perioperative mortality. Perioperative morbidity after isolated aortic valve replacement is low. A fatal neurological event, the most dreaded complication after aortic valve replacement, is found in about 0.5% of patients. Post-operatively, left ventricular hypertrophy decreases and cardiac dysfunction, reflected by the left-ventricular ejection rate is reversed in most patients, associated with an excellent clinical outcome and an age- and sex-specific normal long-term survival. To offer the most appropriate valve substitute to the individual patient, the debate focus on the question of whether patients benefit from durable mechanical heart valves or a primary anticoagulation-free bioprosthesis. However, there is no difference found between the prostheses types with regard to serious valve related complications such as major thromboembolism and hemorrhage, fatal reoperation and valve-related mortality. The search for an ideal permanent substitute for the aortic valve continues. To date, proper indication, optimal timing of the operation and careful analysis of the late results may help to improve the long-term survival of patients with after isolated aortic valve replacement.