Hemodynamic performance of the St. Jude Medical Epic Supra aortic stented valve.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The study aim was to evaluate the hemodynamic performance of the St. Jude Medical Epic Supra bioprosthesis during the early six-month follow up period, and to confirm the safety and efficacy of the valve by collecting details of adverse events and NYHA functional classification.

Methods: Fifty-seven patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) with the Epic Supra valve between September 2007 and January 2009 at three centers in Canada were evaluated for the study.

Nineteen-millimeter prosthetic aortic valves allow normalization of left ventricular mass in elderly women.

Background: Implantation of small aortic valve prostheses has been reported to be associated with impaired left ventricular (LV) mass regression and incomplete resolution of symptoms although these data have been generated largely with male patients. Therefore we sought to determine the clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of female patients who received a 19-mm aortic valve.

Methods: Between May 1995 and December 2000, 38 female patients (average age 73 years, range 42 to 89) underwent isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR; n = 22) or AVR plus coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG; n = 16) with a 19-mm aortic prosthesis.