Strut fracture in the new Bjørk-Shiley mitral valve prosthesis

The case of a patient with the new type Bjørk-Shiley aortic and mitral valve prosthesis is described. Three months after implant she suffered acute heart failure and died. Post-mortem examination revealed a fractured outlet strut in the mitral valve prosthesis with dislocation of the disc. The fracture was regarded as due to excessive brittleness caused by demonstrated deposition of chromium-tungsten-carbide.