The CarboMedics prosthetic heart valve: experience with 180 implants

At Jichi Medical School Hospital, three types of mechanical prosthetic valves (CarboMedics, Omnicarbon, Bicarbon) were used without randomization from 1991 to 2000. A retrospective study of valve replacements done between June 1991 and November 2000 utilizing 180 CarboMedics valves in 145 patients who had not previously undergone prosthetic valve replacement or aortic root and/or arch replacement was conducted to evaluate midterm patient outcomes to assess the future continuous use of CarboMedics valves. Women made up 47.6% of the patients and the mean age was 57.5 years (range 12-80 years). Preoperative New York Heart Association functional class was III or IV in 92.4% (134/145) of patients. Mean follow-up of 4.5 years (range 0-10.0 years) was 95.9% complete, with a total of 628 patient-years (PY). Early (within 30 postoperative days) mortality was 5.5% (8 of 145): 3 from hemorrhage, 3 from nonvalve-related heart failure, 1 from infection, and 1 from arrhythmia. There were 16 late deaths (2.54%/PY): 1 from hemorrhage, 4 from unknown causes/sudden death, 4 from nonvalve-related heart failure, and 7 from other noncardiac causes. A total of 121 patients (83.0%) were alive at the last follow-up, done in November 2000. The linearized death rate was 3.82%/year (including 1.11%/year for valve-related deaths). Linearized death rates from various causes were: bleeding, 0.96%/year; thromboembolism, 1.11%/year; thrombosis, 0.39%/year; perivalvular leak, 0.96%/year; endocarditis, 0%/year; hemolysis, 0%/year; and reoperation, 0.63%/year. No structural valve failure was observed. Comparative early mortality rates of valve replacement without aortic root replacement or arch replacement, excluding repeat valve replacement operations, in our institute, were 3.5% (12/307) for all valve types used contemporaneously, 2.6% (2/76) for Omnicarbon valves, and 2.3% (2/86) for Bicarbon valves. Although the CarboMedics valve had a rather high mortality rate of 5.5% (8/145) compared with the total early mortality rate of 3.5%, the low incidence of valve-related complications might support the continued use of the CarboMedics valve for valve replacement.