The Bicarbon heart valve prosthesis: short-term results

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Prosthetic Devices

Background:

• The Bicarbon valve is a bileaflet mechanical heart valve prosthesis.
• Evaluating the short-term efficacy and safety of prosthetic heart valves is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the short-term clinical results of the Bicarbon heart valve prosthesis.
• To identify predictors of survival following Bicarbon valve replacement.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 256 patients underwent valve replacement with the Bicarbon prosthesis between 1991 and 1995.
• Procedures included aortic, mitral, and aortic-mitral valve replacements, with redo and combined procedures included.
• Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate/multivariate analyses were used to evaluate outcomes and predictors.

Main Results:

• The mean follow-up was 30 months, with 100% completeness.
• The 48-month Kaplan-Meier survival rate was 87% +/- 2%.
• Valve-related morbidity rates included anticoagulation bleeding (2.3%), thromboembolic events (1.0%), periprosthetic leak (0.6%), and endocarditis (0.3%).
• Independent predictors for worse survival were longer aortic cross-clamp time and higher preoperative NYHA functional class.

Conclusions:

• Short-term results of Bicarbon valve replacement are encouraging and comparable to other bileaflet mechanical valves.
• Longer aortic cross-clamp time and higher preoperative NYHA class are significant independent predictors of poorer survival.
• Continued long-term follow-up is essential to fully ascertain the durability and safety of the Bicarbon prosthesis.