Long-term survival following aortic valve replacement.

Study was made of 95 survivors of aortic valve replacement during the early years of this procedure (1964 to 1970). The average follow-up time was 50.2 months. Survival was not related to hemodynamic parameters, such as cardiac index or left ventricular pressure, and did not appear to be influenced by the type of preoperative valve lesion. A history of angina pectoris and a New York Heart Association Class IV grouping were associated with shorter survival. Associated coronary artery disease was a leading cause of death in those patients surviving less than 2 years and angina pectoris the leading cause of morbidity in the long-term survivors. Sudden death occurred in five patients. Once a patient survived 36 months after the operation, the prognosis was excellent.