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Replacement of the quadricuspid aortic valve: strategy to avoid complete heart block
Paul A Pirundini1, Jorge M Balaguer, Kevin J Lilly
1Division of Cardiac Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA. ppirundini@capecodhealth.org
Abstract:
Quadricuspid aortic valves are rarely encountered by the cardiac surgeon during aortic valve replacement. The most common location for the supranumerary cusp is between the noncoronary and the right coronary cusp, located over the membranous septum, which can potentially increase the risk of complete heart block after valve replacement. We present three quadricuspid aortic valve replacements, one of which was complicated by complete heart block postoperatively. We suggest a strategy to possibly avoid this complication.
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Heart Valves
The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...
