Between 1984 and 1988, we studied 514 patients who underwent surgery for valve replacement using Labcor's porcine bioprosthetic valve. Two hundred and eighty-eight patients were female and 226 were male with a mean age of 36.8 ± 16.5 years. There was 64% of mitral valve replacement; 21.6% of aortic valve replacement; 2.1 % of mitral-tricuspid replacement and 0.2 of mitral-aortic-tricuspid replacement. In the pre-operatory period 1.6% of the patients were in the functional class II (NYHA); 63.7% in class III and 34.7% in class IV. After surgery 77.2% of the patients were in functional class I; 21.5% in class II; 0.3% in class III and 1% in class IV. The sizes of the bioprosthetic valve more often used were in order of frequency: 29 (33.3%); 27 (21.7%) and 31 (15.2%). There was a 7.6% incidence of hospital deaths and 3.2% of late deaths. The overall mortality was 10.1%. The mortality rate was 6.3% patients-year. There was a 4 years follow-up with 13 late deaths, 34% of them related to the bioprosthetic porcine valve. A second replacement ocurred in 17 (3.6%) cases and was due to paravalvar leaking in 4 cases, infective endocarditis in 2 cases, calcification in 1 and in 10 cases was not related to the bioprosthetic valve. Thus, the Labcor's bioprosthetic porcine valve, during the 4 year follow-up, showed a low incidence of complications (5 of 475 patients who survived surgery).
heart valves; heart valves prostheses; heart valves