Bioprosthetic vs Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients 40 to 75 Years of Age.

Publication/Presentation Date

4-1-2025

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The choice of bioprosthetic or mechanical surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) should balance individual valve durability with the potential liabilities of oral anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To inform clinical practice, this study sought to evaluate contemporary, real-world, long-term AVR outcomes from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD).

METHODS: All patients undergoing primary isolated bioprosthetic or mechanical AVR were identified. Patients aged75 years with endocarditis, emergency/salvage status, shock, ejection fraction ≤25%, and any prior cardiac surgery were excluded. Validated methodology was applied for linkage to the National Death Index to define longitudinal all-cause mortality (2008-2019). Robust risk adjustment was performed by using age-specific inverse probability weighting and restricted cubic splines to model nonlinear age relationships. Sensitivity analyses excluded pure aortic insufficiency, intermediate/high risk (STS predicted risk of operative mortality >4%), and discontinued valve types.

RESULTS: A total of 109,842 patients underwent bioprosthetic (n = 94,125) or mechanical (n = 15,717) AVR during the study period. After risk adjustment, freedom from all-cause mortality favored mechanical valves in patients aged 60 years and younger. Age group-specific analyses showed that mechanical valves were associated with lower all-cause mortality in all age groups ≤60 years. These results remained consistent across all sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients aged ≤60 years, mechanical AVR was associated with an independent risk-adjusted survival benefit compared with bioprosthetic AVR. These contemporary 12-year survival data further inform patient and provider shared clinical decision-making regarding prosthetic aortic valves.

Volume

85

Issue

12

First Page

1289

Last Page

1298

ISSN

1558-3597

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

40139884

Department(s)

Department of Surgery

Document Type

Article

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