Randomised, prospective evaluation of a new pericardial heart valve: outcome after seven years

Between 2 February 1987 and 20 March 1990, 170 patients were randomly allocated to receive a new pericardial heart valve (the Bioflo) or the Carpentier-Edwards supra-annular porcine bioprosthesis. Eighty-five patients (mean age 61 years, range 38-77) received 93 Bioflo valves, 46 having aortic valve replacement (AVR), 31 mitral valve replacement (MVR) and 8 aortic and mitral valve replacement (A+MVR); 85 patients (mean age 62.1 years, range 41-77) received 99 Carpentier-Edwards porcine valves (48 AVR, 23 MVR and 14 A+MVR). Cumulative follow-up totals 926 patient-years (mean 5.45 +/- 1.93, median 6.03, maximum 7.47 years). The overall operative mortality rate for the Bioflo group was 2.4%, and 5.9% for the Carpentier-Edwards group. At 7 years, there was no statistically significant difference in survival or in any prosthesis-related complication between the pericardial and porcine valve recipients overall, or when the data were analysed according to valve implant position. The actuarial survival rate at 7 years for the Bioflo group was 80.1 +/- 5.1% and 72.3 +/- 5.9% for the Carpentier-Edwards group. Freedom from structural valve deterioration (SVD) at 7 years for Bioflo patients was 98.5 +/- 1.5% and for Carpentier-Edwards patients 91.2 +/- 4.1%. No patient in the Bioflo group has required reoperation for SVD. The randomised prospective trial has proven practical and effective and has shown the pericardial valve to perform at least as well as the porcine valve up to 7 years when all of the standard outcome measures of valve performance are assessed.