Improved Results in 336 Patients with the Isolated Mitral Beall Valve Replacement

¹ Professor, Thoracic Surgery, Hahnemann Hospital
² Attending Thoracic Surgeon, Deborah Heart and Lung Center
³ Assistant Professor, Thoracic Surgery, Hahnemann Hospital
⁴ Director, Clinical Cardiology, Deborah Heart and Lung Center

In the four year study of 336 mitral Beall valve replacements there was an early operative mortality of 8.6 percent (29 patients). The late mortality was 7.4 percent (25 patients). Only five (1.5 percent) of these died as a result of thromboemboli from the prosthesis. Withdrawal of anticoagulants may have been a factor in causing clotting on the prosthesis in two of these patients. There were 20 patients (6 percent) who developed nonfatal postoperative emboli, mostly transient in nature. This low emboli incidence may be due to a lack of exposed valve metal. Residual walvular leak occurred in 18 patients but only in five was it severe enough to warrant reoperation. The late results in the 273 survivors were gratifying; 92 percent (252) were in excellent or good condition at the end of the study period. Most of these survivors resumed a normal active life.