Analysis of aortic root surgery with composite mechanical aortic valve conduit and valve-sparing reconstruction.

Objective: Comparative analysis of early and late results of aortic root reconstruction with aortic valve sparing operations and the composite mechanical valve conduit replacement.

Methods: From November 2002 to September 2009, 164 consecutive patients with mean age 54 ± 15 years, 115 male, underwent the aortic root reconstruction (125 mechanical valve conduit replacements and 39 valve sparing operations). Sixteen percent of patients had Marfan syndrome and 4.3% had bicuspid aortic valve. One hundred and forty-four patients (88%) were followed for a mean period of 41.1 ± 20.8 months.

Results: The hospital mortality was 4.9%, 5.6% in operations with valved conduits and 2.6% in the valve sparing procedures (P <0.05). There was no difference neither in survival (95% CI = 86% - 96%, P= 0.1) nor in reoperation-free survival (95% CI = 85% - 90%, P = 0.29). The survival free of complications such as bleeding, thromboembolism and endocarditis were favorable to the valve sparing operations, respectively (95% CI = 70% - 95%, P = 0.001), (95% CI = 82% - 95% P = 0.03) and (95% CI = 81% - 95%, P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that creatinine greater than 1.4 mg/dl, Cabrol operation and renal dialysis were predictors of mortality, respectively, with occurrence chance of 6 (95% CI = 1.8 - 19.5, P = 0.003), 12 (95% CI = 3 - 49.7, P = 0.0004) and 16 (95% CI = 3.6 - 71.3, P = 0.0002).

Conclusions: The aortic root reconstruction has a low early and late mortality, high survival free of complications and low need for reoperation. During the late follow-up, valve sparing aortic root reconstructions presented fewer incidences of bleeding, thromboembolic events and endocarditis.