Aortic valve disease with severe ventricular dysfunction: stentless valve for better recovery.

Background: Stentless bioprostheses and homografts show better hemodynamic profiles compared with conventional stented bioprostheses and mechanical valves. Few data are available on stentless aortic valve implantation for patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the potential benefits of stentless aortic valve implantation for patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement with left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35%.

Methods: From November 1988 through March 2000, 53 patients (45 men and 8 women, aged 64.2 +/- 15.2 years) with a LVEF < or = 35% (mean EF, 28.7 +/- 5.4%) underwent isolated, primary aortic valve replacement for chronic aortic valve disease. Twenty patients received stentless aortic valves and 33 patients received conventional stented bioprostheses and mechanical valves. Predictive factors for LVEF recovery at echocardiographic follow-up (36.2 +/- 32.1 months) were analyzed by simple and multiple regression analysis.

Results: There were no significant differences between groups in early and late mortality. Stentless aortic valve implantation required a longer aortic cross-clamp time (p = 0.037). The stentless aortic valve group showed a better LVEF recovery (p = 0.016). Stentless aortic valves had a larger indexed effective orifice area compared with conventional stented bioprostheses and mechanical valves (p < 0.0001). A smaller indexed effective orifice area (p = 0.0008), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0.015), and implantation of a conventional stented bioprosthesis or mechanical valve (p = 0.016) were related to reduced LVEF recovery by univariate analysis. A larger indexed effective orifice area (p = 0.024) was an independent predictive factor for a better LVEF recovery by multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: Stentless aortic valve implantation for patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, even if technically more demanding, is a safe procedure that warrants a larger indexed effective orifice area leading to an enhanced LVEF recovery.