The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 71, 694-697, Copyright © 1976 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Long-term follow-up of cloth-covered Starr-Edwards prostheses
JS Carey
One hundred patients in whom cloth-covered Starr-Edwards prostheses were
implanted have now been followed for 3 to 7 years. The hospital mortality
rate was 5 per cent, and survival at five years was 70 per cent.
Complications related to valve design occurred in 8 per cent (4 per cent
fatal). The majority of late deaths and poor results were related to
progressive cardiac disease rather than valve-related complications. The
results indicate that cloth-covered prostheses have significantly lowered
the incidence of thromboembolism and eliminated poppet dysfunction. The
problem of strut cloth wear was clinically observed only twice in 500
patient-years of follow-up.