Predictors of outcome in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and potential advantages of homograft aortic root replacement for prosthetic ascending aortic valve-graft infections.

Seventy-five surgically treated patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis were treated at the Stanford University Medical Center. This was a multivariate analysis analyzing both patient related factors, bacteriology, and surgical findings. The conclusions among 10 patients with allograft valves, 20% had an annular abscess; this occurred in 36% of 29 patients with porcine valves, and 65% of these with mechanical prosthesis. Though prevention, again, is key in this especially devastating disease, once infection has been established and an aggressive approach is indicated, it would appear that a homograft re-replacement or free aortic homograft valve replacement can deal with severe tissue destruction to prevent recurrence.