Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Full-root Aortic Valve Replacement by Stentless Aortic Xenografts in Patients with Small Aortic Roots
Published on: May 21, 2017
Age and valve size effect on the long-term durability of the Carpentier-Edwards aortic pericardial bioprosthesis
M K Banbury1, D M Cosgrove, J A White
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195, USA. banburm@ccf.org
Background:
Bioprosthesis durability decreases with time and younger age. However, the time-scale and determinants of durability of the aortic Carpentier-Edwards stented bovine pericardial prosthesis are incompletely characterized.
Methods:
Between September 1981 and January 1984, 267 patients underwent implantation of the pericardial aortic prosthesis at four centers. Mean age at implant was 65 +/- 12 years (range 21 to 86 years). Follow-up averaged 12 +/- 4.5 years. The primary end point was explant for structural valve dysfunction (SVD), which was analyzed multivariably in the context of death as a competing risk.
Results:
Freedom from explant due to SVD was 99%, 94%, and 77% at 5, 10, and 15 years. Risk of SVD increased exponentially with time and younger age (p = 0.0001) at implantation; an increased risk of small valve size was not reliably demonstrated (p = 0.1). Considering the competing risk of death, patients aged 65 years or older had a less than 10% chance of explant for SVD by 15 years.
Conclusions:
Durability of this stented pericardial aortic bioprosthesis is excellent and justifies its use in patients aged 65 or older.
