Predictors of Short-Term Mortality after Heart Valve Surgery: A Single-Center Study; Retrospective analysis

Objective To investigate predictors of short-term mortality after valve surgery at our center. Methods The study cohort included 346 patients who underwent different types of valve surgery, excluding redo and Bentall operations. All operations were performed through a median sternotomy using cardiopulmonary bypass. Results Mean patient age was 51.6 ± 16.1 years, and 51% were male. Approximately 21% had diabetes, and 44.6% were hypertensive. Aortic valve replacement (AVR) was performed in 125 patients (37%), mitral valve replacement (MVR) in 95 (28%), combined AVR and MVR in 42 (13%), AVR plus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 19 (6%), and MVR plus CABG in 32 (10%). Operative mortality was 5.8% (n = 20). In the bivariate-level analysis, older age, operation type, hypertension, emergency surgery, use of a biological valve in the aortic or mitral position, pump time greater than 120 minutes, and aortic clamp time greater than 60 minutes were significant predictors of 30-day mortality. Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, digoxin, beta-blockers, statins, and loop diuretics was associated with mortality. Older age, emergency/salvage surgery, use of beta-blockers for less than 1 month preoperatively, and use of a biological valve in the aortic position were significant and independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Conclusion Older age, emergency valve surgery, use of a biological valve, and use of beta-blockers for less than 1 month before surgery were all found to be independent predictors of mortality in patients undergoing valve surgery.