Hospital Mortality After Mitral Valve Replacement

One hundred consecutive cases of mitral valve replacements have been retrospectively reviewed. The prognostic significance of preoperative clinical and hemodynamic factors for the early postoperative period has been evaluated. The hospital mortality was 21%. Of the patients above 60 years 42% died compared to 14% of the patients below this age (p < 0.005). The mean pulmonary arteriolar resistance was 446 dyn/sec cm‐5 in the patients who died and 286 in the survivors (p < 0.05). The mortality was markedly increased, 62%, in the patients with pulmonary arteriolar resistance above 600 dyn/sec cm‐5, compared with the rest of the patients (p < 0.0025). The other factors reviewed (functional class NYHA, heart volume measured roentgenologically, pressure data, cardiac index, number of valves replaced and type of prostheses used) showed no statistically significant differences between the survivors and the early deaths. The main mode of death was found to be heart failure and sudden arrhythmia.