[Clinical characteristics of the Soviet low-profile heart valve prostheses EMIKS and LIKS]

The present work is devoted to the clinical assessment of the Soviet-made cardiac valve prostheses 'EMIKS' and 'LIKS'. From 1983 to May 1, 1988, 632 prostheses were implanted to 508 patients. A group of 348 patients were assessed: 139 after mitral (M) replacement, 130 after aortal (A) replacement, and 79 after mitral-aortal (M+A) replacement. Hospital mortality rate was: in M group--4.3 per cent, in A group--5.3 per cent, in M+A group--8.8 per cent. Survival rate on the fifth postoperative year was: in M group--89.5 +/- 9.2 per cent, in a group--90.0 +/- 4.2 per cent, in M+A group--91.0 +/- 6.2 per cent, the stability of the good results being 85.5 +/- 7.2, 79.5 +/- 6.2, and 75.0 +/- 9.1 per cent, respectively. At year 5 of the follow-up, patient numbers without thromboembolic complications amounted to 95.0 +/- 4.7 per cent in M group, 95.5 +/- 4.2 per cent in A group, and 85.0 +/- 9.1 in M+A group. 95.1 per cent patients belong to functional classes I and II. In mitral replacement, the mean 'EMIKS' gradient was 4.2 +/- 0.58 mm Hg, the 'LIKS' one--4.58 +/- 0.62 mm Hg. Intravascular hemolysis was not observed. The 'EMIKS' and 'LIKS' prostheses match the models produced in other countries. No significant differences between the two models were found.