Five-year experience with the Medtronic Hall prosthesis in isolated aortic valve replacement

We reviewed clinical data in 216 patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement with the Medtronic Hall prosthesis. Between January 1983 and December 1990, a total of 216 prosthetic valves were implanted in 180 males and 36 females. Preoperatively, 45.5% of patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III to IV. Cumulative follow-up was 682 years, and 3.2% of patients were lost to follow-up. The actuarial 5-year survival rate was 90% for the whole group. All the patients were anticoagulated with aceno-coumarol (Sintrom). There were no cases of structural dysfunction and one patient presented with valve thrombosis. The Medtronic Hall valve has a low rate of thromboembolic events without structural failure. It is an excellent device for aortic valve replacement.