Aortic root replacement with a mechanical valve conduit: A single-institutional experience.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Thoracic Surgery
• Aortic Valve Surgery

Background:

• Lack of consensus on optimal aortic root replacement strategy.
• Guidelines suggest mechanical valves for younger patients when repair is not feasible.
• Need to describe institutional experience with mechanical aortic root replacement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the institutional experience with mechanical aortic root replacement.
• To report outcomes of patients undergoing mechanical aortic root replacement.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study utilizing an institutional database.
• Included patients undergoing aortic root replacement with a mechanical valve composite graft (2010-2022).
• Descriptive statistics reported for all patients, including those with concomitant operations.

Main Results:

• 217 patients underwent mechanical aortic root replacement.
• Common pathologies included aortic insufficiency (62.67%), aneurysm (35.5%), and dissection (20.3%).
• Operative/30-day mortality was 6.9%, with a 4-year mortality of 17.5%.

Conclusions:

• Mechanical aortic root replacement is a relatively safe procedure.
• Institutional outcomes are comparable to other centers.
• Procedure is a viable option for aortic root pathology.