Aortic valve-sparing surgery for aortic root aneurysm.

Background: Replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta with a composite graft is the most common surgical treatment for aortic root aneurysms with or without aortic regurgitation (AR). In the early 90's reconstructive procedures of the aortic root have been described with encouraging results. This paper presents our experience with this technique.

[Mortality risk estimation in cardiac surgery].

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the ability of three risk models to predict operative mortality after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Risk factors of 3111 patients (73% male, mean age 65.2 +/- 10.