Pulmonary autograft aortic valve replacement. Early experience with the Ross procedure

Aortic valve replacement with a pulmonary autograft was performed in 24 patients between October 1993 and October 1994, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. There were 20 (83.3%) males and 4 (16.7%) females. Their ages ranged from 10 to 56 years (mean, 21.46 +/- 11.45 years). Associated procedures included 10 mitral valve procedures (4 open commissurotomies, 5 mitral valve repairs, and 1 homograft mitral valve replacement) and 1 tricuspid valve repair. There were 4 (16.7%) early deaths, 3 of which were due to bleeding or its sequelae and 1 due to septicemia. There were no late deaths. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 13 months (mean, 198.3 +/- 111.1 days). Nineteen (95%) patients are in New York Heart Association functional class I, and 1 patient (5%) is in class II, due to poor left ventricular function. Only 1 patient showed grade 2/4 aortic regurgitation on follow-up examinations, and none has shown progression of aortic regurgitation. Our early results with the pulmonary autograft are encouraging; however, long-term evaluation is needed.