Aortic valve reconstruction with CardioCel: Midterm Results.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Biomaterials in Medicine
• Aortic Valve Disease

Background:

• Aortic valve repair aims to restore native valve function, offering an alternative to replacement.
• CardioCel, a biomaterial patch, has been utilized for aortic cusp repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of aortic valve repair using CardioCel patch-plasty.
• To assess the efficacy and safety of this technique in patients with aortic valve pathologies.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 167 patients underwent aortic valve reconstruction with CardioCel cusp repair between 2014 and 2021.
• Procedures included isolated cusp repair (70%) and combined valve and root repair (30%).
• Patient demographics included a mean age of 54.3 years, with 85.6% males; 43% had tricuspid valves.

Main Results:

• Early mortality was low at 0.6%, with 6-year survival at 95.7%.
• A cumulative risk of 7.8% for reoperation or severe aortic insufficiency (≥3+) by 6 years was observed.
• No degeneration or calcification of CardioCel patches was noted.

Conclusions:

• Aortic cusp repair with CardioCel demonstrates favorable intermediate results.
• Repair failure is primarily linked to aortic valve anatomy and cusp quality.
• Long-term durability of CardioCel patch-plasty requires further investigation as an alternative to biological valve replacement.