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Published on: April 1, 2022
Aortic Valve Surgery in Children With Infective Endocarditis
Damien M Wu1, Michael Z L Zhu1, Edward Buratto1
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Insights
Surgery for pediatric aortic valve infective endocarditis (IE) shows good survival, but reoperation is common. The Ross procedure is often the best surgical option when valve repair isn't possible.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric cardiology
- Cardiac surgery
- Infective endocarditis research
Background:
- Limited data exists on long-term outcomes for children with aortic valve infective endocarditis (IE).
- The optimal surgical strategy for pediatric aortic valve IE remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term outcomes of surgical interventions for aortic valve IE in children.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Ross procedure compared to other surgical options.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 41 children undergoing surgery for aortic valve IE between 1989 and 2020.
- Surgical approaches included valve repair, Ross procedure, homograft root replacement, and mechanical valve replacement.
- Analysis of operative mortality, long-term survival, and freedom from reoperation.
Main Results:
- Operative mortality varied: 0% for repair, 15.4% for Ross, 33.3% for homograft, and 33.3% for mechanical replacement.
- Ten-year survival rates were 87.5% (repair), 74.1% (Ross), and 66.7% (homograft).
- Ten-year freedom from reoperation was significantly higher for the Ross procedure (63.0%) compared to homograft (26.3%).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric patients with aortic valve IE demonstrate acceptable long-term survival post-surgery.
- A significant need for reintervention exists, highlighting the importance of durable surgical solutions.
- The Ross procedure emerges as a potentially optimal choice when aortic valve repair is not feasible.
Abstract:
There is limited data on the outcomes of children who undergo surgery for aortic valve infective endocarditis (IE), and the optimal surgical approach remains controversial. We investigated the long-term outcomes of surgery for aortic valve IE in children, with a particular focus on the Ross procedure. A retrospective review of all children who underwent surgery for aortic valve IE was performed at a single institution. Between 1989 and 2020, 41 children underwent surgery for aortic valve IE, of whom 16 (39.0%) underwent valve repair, 13 (31.7%) underwent the Ross procedure, 9 (21.9%) underwent a homograft root replacement, and 3 (7.3%) underwent a mechanical valve replacement. Median age was 10.1 years (interquartile range, 5.4-14.1). The majority of children (82.9%, 34/41) had underlying congenital heart disease, while 39.0% (16/41) had previous heart surgery. Operative mortality was 0.0% (0/16) for repair, 15.4% (2/13) for the Ross procedure, 33.3% (3/9) for homograft root replacement, and 33.3% (1/3) for mechanical replacement. Survival at 10 years was 87.5% for repair, 74.1% for Ross, and 66.7% for homograft (P > 0.05). Freedom from reoperation at 10 years was 30.8% for repair, 63.0% for Ross, and 26.3% for homograft (P = 0.15 for Ross vs repair, P = 0.002 for Ross vs homograft). Children undergoing surgery for aortic valve IE have acceptable long-term survival, although the need for long-term reintervention is significant. The Ross procedure appears to be the optimal choice when repair is not feasible.
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