Researchers at the Thoracic Surgery research group, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, have performed a study of patients who underwent bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in Sweden between 2003 and 2018.
Aortic valve disease is a disease where that the valve which is located between the heart and the aorta is not working properly. The treatment consists of replacing the aortic valve with a prosthetic aortic valve. Prosthetic aortic valves can be biological or mechanical, where younger patients often receive mechanical aortic valves.
What does your publication show?
“In our study we have identified a model of mechanical aortic valves which performs worse compared to other mechanical aortic valves. After adjusting for baseline variables, such a comorbidities and socioeconomic factors, the estimated death ten years after surgery was 27% in patients having received the Bicarbon valve model, compared to 17% in patients having received the Carbomedics, Regent or Standard valve models”, says lead author Malin Granbom Koski, PhD student at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet.
Why are the results important?
Given the results of our study, it could be relevant to follow the patients who received the valve model that showed worse performance more closely, in order to discover and treat possible complications.
How did you perform the study?
Through the Swedish Cardiac Surgery Register (which is part of the SWEDEHEART register) we identified over 5000 patients who received a mechanical aortic valve in Sweden between 2003 and 2018. The data from the Swedish Cardiac Surgery Register was combined with data from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare and from Statistics Sweden.
What is the next step in your research?
We will continue to perform studies investigating different factors which might affect clinical results after aortic valve replacement surgery. Through this we hope to increase the knowledge of prosthetic valves, and through that contribute to better care for patients with aortic valve disease.
The study was financed by grants from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Region Stockholm and a private donation from Fredrik Lundberg. No conflicts of interest were reported.
Publication
Comparative Long-Term Clinical Performance of Mechanical Aortic Valve Prostheses.
Granbom Koski M, Glaser N, Franco-Cereceda A, Sartipy U, Dismorr M
JAMA Netw Open 2024 Apr;7(4):e247525
