Replacement of the aortic valve in patients under 50 years of age: long-term follow-up of the St. Jude Medical prosthesis.

Background: Aortic valve replacement in the young adult (aged 18 to 50 years) is a choice between a mechanical prosthesis with attendant lifelong anticoagulation or biological prostheses of varying types that may have limited life expectancy in this age group.

Methods: The Cardiac Surgical Research Foundation database was accessed to determine long-term outcomes in patients having aortic valve replacement with the St. Jude Medical Valve.