National Practice Patterns and Early Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement in Children and Teens

Several options exist for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in children and teens, but contemporary practice patterns and outcome data are lacking. We describe national AVR practice patterns and early outcomes.

Children (aged 1 to 18 years) in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database undergoing AVR from 2000 to 2016 were included. Preoperative characteristics, operative data, and outcomes were described. To evaluate practice patterns, centers were assigned tertiles by aortic valve surgical volume. Statistical comparisons included Mann-Whitney U statistic, Kruskal-Wallis, χ² test, and gamma testing.

In total, 3446 operations (46% children aged 1 to 12 years; 54% teens aged 12 to 18 years) were included. Preoperative risk factors were present in 23%, and 46% had a prior sternotomy. Valve utilization included autograft (64% child, 37% teen), mechanical (19% child, 35% teen), bioprosthetic (8% child, 20% teen), and homograft (9% child, 7% teen). Autografts were utilized more often for teenage girls than for teenage boys (odds ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.66, P < .05). Overall, inpatient mortality and major complications affected 1% and 10%, respectively, and these rates were highest for homografts (5%, P < .001, and 13%, P < .05). Autograft utilization varied widely across centers (10th to 90th percentile: 21% to 71% of total AVR volume). More autografts were utilized at high-volume centers vs low- or medium-volume centers (53% ± 2.3% vs 46% ± 2.6%, P < .001).

Practice patterns for AVR in children and teens vary across centers, age groups, and sexes. Although early outcomes were similar across valve types, homografts had higher morbidity and mortality. Valve choice was related to aortic valve surgical volume. Further efforts are needed to understand and optimize AVR practice patterns and long-term outcomes.