Clinical and Hemodynamic Findings Following Prosthetic Valve Replacement for Mitral Valve Disease

Clinical and hemodynamic results have been evaluated 12--24 months after mitral valve replacement with the new Björk-Shiley tilting disc valve prosthesis. After operation, most patients were improved symptomatically and were classified as I-II (N.Y.H.A.). No patient became worse. Hemodynamic status at rest showed significant reduction in pulmonary capillary venous pressure, pulmonary artial pressure and significant increase in cardiac output when compared with the preoperative values, but postoperative hemodynamic abnormalities remained. Exercise produced a rise in pressures in the pulmonary circuit and in cardiac output. The increase in cardiac output was less than expected from the increase in oxygen consumption, with a few exceptions. Apparently, there was no close relationship between the symptomatic improvement and the hemodynamic results. Thus, the present study points to the importance of hemodynamic data in the objective assessment of the results of cardiac surgery.