Along with the coming of aged society, the prevalence of heart valvular disease is significantly increasing, and the use of bioprosthetic valves for treating patients with severe valve disease has increased over the last two decades. As a consequence, a growing number of patients with surgical bioprosthesis degeneration is predicted in the near future. In this setting, valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter aortic/mitral valve replacement (TAVR/TMVR) has emerged as an alternative to redo surgery. A deep knowledge of the mechanism and features of the failed bioprosthetic heart valve is pivotal to plan an adequate procedure. Multimodal imaging is fundamental in the diagnostic and pre-procedural phases. The immediate and mid-term clinical and hemodynamic results have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of ViV techniques, but the development of these techniques faces several specific challenges, such as coronary obstruction, potential post-procedural mismatch and leaflet thrombosis. This article reviews the current status and prospects of ViV-TAVR technology in the treatment for biological valve degeneration, and suggests that ViV-TAVR should be promoted and implemented in existing medical centers with good surgical aortic valve replacement experience, so as to provide better treatment for patients.
ObjectiveTo analyze the reason and prevention of late bioprosthetic heart valve thrombosis (LBVT).
MethodsBioprosthetic heart valves were implanted in 580 patients between January 2001 and July 2013 in Changhai Hospital, and only found one case of LBVT (0.2%). Reoperation was performed for a 67-year-old male patient 3 years after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement due to severe aortic valve stenosis. Retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and reviewed the literature between January 1989 and December 2013 in Pubmed.
ResultsNo risk factor for thrombosis was revealed in this patient. Pathology revealed valve thrombosis and collagen and elastic fibers fragmentation and disruption in valve leaflets. In literature review, 20 articles and 47 cases were brought in. The morbidity of LBVT was 0.2%-1.0%. At least 18 patients had high risk factors, and 15 of the 18 patients discontinued anticoagulation after 3 months. However, at least 10 patients had no high risk factors. Forty-four of the 47 patients received stented porcine valve replacement, only one patient received stented bovine pericardial valve replacement.
ConclusionsLBVT is a rare but serious complication after bioprosthetic valve replacement, the causes of which include the feature of the patients and the bioprosthetic valves. Bovine pericardial valves could be superior to porcine valves in preventing LBVT. Postoperative long-time aspirin therapy is recommended for patients without high risk factors. Patients with any high risk factors should prolong anticoagulation.
ObjectiveTo explore the short-term follow-up clinical effect of transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation treatment for mitral bioprosthesis deterioration.MethodsThe single center data of elderly patients with mitral valve bioprosthetic dysfunction who received transapical J-Valve intervention between January 2019 and May 2020 were reviewed and summarized. After the informed consent was signed, single lumen endotracheal intubation was performed under general anesthesia in hybrid operating room. The left intercostal small incision was used to explore the apical area. Fluoroscopy and three-dimensional esophageal ultrasound were used to guide the puncture needle. Then the guide wire entered the left atrium through the mitral valve biological valve. The catheter was exchanged, and the rigid support wire was exchanged. The reverse loaded J-Valve system was guided and implanted into the biological mitral valve with beating heart. The appropriate implantation depth was adjusted, and stent valve was released under rapid pacing. Post balloon dilation of the valve was performed if necessary.ResultsFrom January 2019 to May 2020, transcatheter J-Valve implantation was completed in 20 patients with mitral valve dysfunction and high-risk evaluation of routine thoracotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass (the Society of Thoracic Surgeon score above 6). In terms of the type of the the mitral bioprosthesis, there were 6 cases of Hancock valves, 7 cases of Perimount valves, 6 cases of Epic valves, and 1 case of Baxiter valve. In terms of the size of the the mitral bioprosthesis, there were 2 cases of size 29 valves, 11 cases of size 27 valves, and 7 cases of size 25 valves. One valve fell into the left ventricle at early stage. One patient had mild valve displacement during operation, and a second valve was implanted at the same time. The success rate of valve-in-valve implantation was 95%. The length of stay in intensive care unit was less than 6 h in 5 cases, 6-24 h in 13 cases, 24-48 h in 1 case, and more than 48 h in 1 case. No patient’s postoperative mitral regurgitation was moderate or above. The mean mitral valve pressure gradient was (5.2±2.3) mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa). Patients recovered well after the valve-in-valve implantation treatment, with no death within postoperative one month. One patient died of infection and multiple organ failure during follow-up after one month. Other patients recovered smoothly without serious complications.ConclusionsThe clinical effect of J-Valve intervention in the treatment of mitral valve bioprosthetic dysfunction through apical approach is good. The implantation can be completed under beating heart, avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass and routine thoracotomy cardiac arrest, which is worthy of further observation and follow-up.
Objective To evaluate postoperative quality of life （QOL） of patients aged over 65 after mitral valvereplacement （MVR）. Methods Ninety patients aged over 65 undergoing MVR by the same surgical group in Departmentof Cardiovascular Surgery of Anzhen Hospital were prospectively enrolled in this study. There were 62 male and 28 femalepatients with their age of 65-76 （68.6±6.8） years. There were 55 patients with hypertension，38 patients with type 2 diabetes，and all the patients had persistent atrial fibrillation. Nottingham Healthy Profile （NHP，Part I） and Duke Activity StatuIndex （DASI） were used to evaluate preoperative and postoperative QOL. According to the choice of prosthetic heart valves they received，all the patients were divided into two groups with 45 patients in each group: biological valve group and mechanical valve group. All the patients received MVR via the interatrial groove approach under general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass. Mechanical valve replacement was performed using continuous suture without preserving the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Biological valve replacement was performed using interrupted suture and some of the posteriorleaflet of the mitral valve was routinely preserved. Patients in both groups underwent intraoperative bilateral pulmonary vein isolation and left atrial appendage ablation using a bipolar radiofrequency ablation device. The left atrial appendage was not excised or ligated. Results Postoperative QOL of all the patients was significantly better than preoperative QOL. There was no statistical difference in NHP and DASI at the 6th month after discharge between the 2 groups. But from the 1st year after discharge，QOL of the biological valve group was significantly better than that of the mechanical valve group. At the 3rd year after discharge，NHP and DASI of the mechanical valve group was not statistically different from those at the 1st year after discharge，but NHP and DASI of the biological valve group was significantly better than those at the 1st year after discharge. Conclusions QOL of elderly patients are significantly improved after MVR. Patients who receive biologicalvalve replacement may acquire better long-term QOL than patients who receive mechanical valve replacement.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of patients receiving mitral valve replacement with mechanical or biological prosthesis.MethodsThe clinical data of patients undergoing mitral valve replacement in our center between January 2005 and August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with emergency, reoperation, bleeding or embolic events or incomplete clinical data were ruled out.ResultsTotally 569 patients were enrolled, including 325 with mechanical prosthesis (a mechanical prosthesis group, 111 males and 214 females with a mean age of 55.54±4.09 years) and 244 bioprosthesis (a bioprosthesis group, 90 males and 154 females with a mean age of 60.02±4.28 years). There was no significant difference in the in-hospital mortality between the two groups (P=0.250). The survival rate at postoperative 15 years of the bioprosthesis group was higher than that of mechanical prosthesis group (78.69% vs. 66.25%, χ2=8.844, P=0.003). No remarkable differences were found in prosthesis failure (P=0.183) and thromboembolism events (P=0.505) between the two groups. Bleeding occurred more frequently in the mechanical prosthesis group (P=0.040). After the propensity-score matched analysis based on the age, the survival rate was still higher in the bioprosthesis group than in the mechanical prosthesis group (P=0.032).ConclusionBiological prosthesis can be considered as the preferable choice in mitral valve replacement procedure in order to improve the long-term survival and decrease the frequent of bleeding events.
Commissural misalignment of biological valve and autologous valve during transcatheter aortic valve replacement may affect the filling of coronary artery, reduce the feasibility of redo-aortic valve intervention and damage the valve function, which will adversely affect long-term prognosis of patients. Some studies have obtained achievement by changing the axial direction of valve and using individualized computer simulation technology to improve the alignment technology. However, there are still many unknown problems about the impact of commissural misalignment on patients, and accurate commissural alignment techniques still need to be further explored. This article systematically expounds the possible impact of commissural misalignment between biological valve and autologous valve in transcatheter aortic valve replacement, possibly effective accurate commissural alignment techniques and related research progress.
ObjectiveTo determine the clinical efficacy of transapical transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve treatment for patients with deteriorated mitral bioprosthesis after aortic-mitral double valve replacement.MethodsThe clinical data of 9 patients who underwent transapical transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve implantation after aortic-mitral double valve replacement due to mitral bioprosthesis deterioration from May 2020 to January 2021 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 4 males and 5 females with a mean age of 72.44±7.57 years.ResultsSurgeries were performed successfully in all patients with no conversion to median sternotomy. The mean procedural time was 101.33±48.49 min, the mechanical ventilation time was 23.11±26.54 h, the ICU stay was 1.89±1.05 d and the postoperative hospital stay was 6.11±2.02 d. Residual mild mitral regurgitation was only observed in 1 patient. Only 1 patient needed postoperative blood transfusion. No major complications were observed in all patients. There was no death in postoperative 90 days.ConclusionFor patients with deteriorated mitral bioprosthesis after aortic-mitral double valve replacement, transapical transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve implantation achieves good clinical results and effectively improves the hemodynamics without increasing the risk of postoperative left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The surgery is feasible and effective.
Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of valve-in-valve transcatheter mitral valve replacement for the management of degenerated bioprosthetic mitral valves. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients who underwent transcatheter mitral valve replacement due to degenerated bioprosthetic mitral valves at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2020 to 2023. The analysis included baseline characteristics, surgical details, perioperative complications, and hemodynamic changes during the early postoperative period and subsequent follow-up. Results A total of 31 patients were included in the study, comprising 7 males and 24 females, with an average age of (66.57±9.32) years. The average duration since the initial surgical placement of the bioprosthetic valves was (9.92±3.71) years. The procedures included 7 patients utilizing the transfemoral venous-atrial septal approach and 24 patients employing the transapical approach. All patients exhibited significant improvement in cardiac function postoperatively, with a reduction in the number of patients classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade Ⅲ or Ⅳ and those with moderate to severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. Echocardiographic assessments revealed a decrease in peak flow velocity across the mitral valve and a reduction in the average transvalvular pressure gradient, while left ventricular ejection fraction remained unchanged. One patient experienced a recurrent stroke and died on the fifth postoperative day; however, the remaining patients were discharged without complications, including cardiac death, all-cause mortality, or outflow tract obstruction. During a median follow-up period of 12 months, no adverse events were reported, and hemodynamic stability was maintained. Conclusion Valve-in-valve transcatheter mitral valve replacement is a safe and effective option for patients with degenerated bioprosthetic mitral valves, demonstrating favorable hemodynamic outcomes and satisfactory short-term clinical results.
