Why the study?
Do mechanical valves reduce the incidence of stenosis, sepsis, and brain accidents compared to xenograft valves in patients under 15 years old?
Do mechanical valves reduce the incidence of stenosis, sepsis, and brain accidents compared to xenograft valves in patients under 15 years old?
In pediatric patients under 15 years old, mechanical valves demonstrate lower rates of stenosis, sepsis, and brain accidents compared to xenografts.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports mechanical valves to reduce complications in children under 15; observational data leaves open need for randomized confirmation before practice change.
Forty-nine artificial cardiac valves implanted in 44 patients less than 15 years old were reviewed. Out of 49 valves, 16 were mechanical and 33 were xenografts. Average follow-up was 2 years 5 months. Marked valvular stenosis developed in 11 out of the 33 xenografts, an incidence of 15% per patient-year. In patients with a xenograft valve, the incidence of sepsis was found to be 4% per patient-year and brain accidents, 4% per patient-year. In patients with mechanical valves, the incidence of stenosis was only 2% per patient-year and brain accidents, 2% per patient-year. There was no sepsis. From these follow-up results, mechanical valves seem to be superior to xenografts when used in patients less than 15 years old.
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Wada et al. (1980) studied this question.
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