A Comparison of Outcomes in Men 11 Years after Heart-Valve Replacement with a Mechanical Valve or Bioprosthesis

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 328; no. 18; pp. 1289 - 1296
• Main Authors: Hammermeister, Karl E, Sethi, Gulshan K, Henderson, William G, Oprian, Charles, Kim, Tai, Rahimtoola, Shahbudin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 06-05-1993
• Subjects: Anticoagulants; Biological and medical sciences; Bleeding; Cardiology; Cardiovascular disease; Endocarditis; Heart; Heart diseases; Medical sciences; Patients; Prostheses; Regurgitation; Review boards; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the heart; Thrombosis; Veterans; Human; Type; Treatment; Cardiac valvular disease; Prosthesis; Surgery; Cardiovascular disease; Evolution; Replacement; Heart valve; Long term; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199305063281801

Although many advances have been made in the design and construction of prosthetic heart valves since the first successful human valve replacements were performed by Starr and Edwards
1
and Harken et al.
2
in 1960, none of the currently available prosthetic heart valves approach the normal human valve in either hemodynamic function or freedom from valve-related complications. The mechanical prosthetic valves offer satisfactory hemodynamic function and long-term durability, but they are thrombogenic, and patients who receive them require long-term anticoagulation with warfarin, with its associated increase in the risk of bleeding. Bioprosthetic valves are less thrombogenic and usually do not require . . .