[Valve prosthesis in cardiac defects: indications and potentials]

Valvular prosthesis made a good reputation in the treatment of acquired and a series of congenital heart diseases. At the Research Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, 288 subjects were implanted a total of 324 valves from 1965 to 1979. Only from January 1, 1977 to May 1, 1979--132 patients got valvular prostheses, 71 of them with mitral prostheses, 42--with aortic prostheses and 19--with double valvular prostheses,with a total and immediate postoperative lethality of 22.8%. In 18 of the patients valvular prosthetization was accompanied by some other heart interventions--valvular commissurotomy or plastics, plastics of interauricular defect, etc. The potentialities and indications are developed for surgical treatment with valvular prostheses in cases of mitral aortic and tricuspid heart diseases.