Cardiac valve procedures are very commom in heart surgery but its mortality is not yet null. In this study, a retrospective analysis of 412 cases was done between January 1994 and December 1995 to identify increased risk factors in these procedures. The mean age of patients was 48.3 years (13 to 85 years) with 59.3% (244 patients) females. Reoperations for valve diseases were performed on 154 cases (37.4%) and in 24 patients (5.8%) associated myocardial revascularization was necessary. The valves involved were: isolated mitral (55,1%), isolated aortic (27.2%), mitro-aortic (11.4%), mitro-tricuspid (4.4%), tricuspid (0.7%), mitro-aortic-tricuspid (1.2%). The hospital mortality was 8.3%. The following factors were identified to be significant predictors for hospital mortality: age over 60, preoperative atrial fibrillation, valve replacement (impossibility of native valve preservation), preoperative NYHA functional class IV, ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 0.50), aortic cross clamp time longer than 75 minutes, and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass longer than 120 minutes. Patients submitted to valve reoperations and those with associated myocardial revascularization showed increased mortality (11.7% and 20.8% respectively), but there were no significant statistical differences. On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between risk and the valve involved, prostheses used in valve replacement (bioprostheses or mechanical prostheses) number of prior cardiac valve surgeries previous realized, interval since the last cardiac valve surgery (in reoperations) and (also in reoperations) if the patient was previously submitted to a valve replacement or a conservative operation. A precise surgical indication, the treatment of preoperative arrhythmias, new drugs for controlling congestive heart failure and to improve ventricular function, the improvement and appearance of new operative techniques for conservative management of valvular diseases, and a better hemodynamic support pre, per and post operative are measures that could further reduce mortality in cardiac valve surgery.
Heart valves; Heart valves; Heart valves
