Valvular Heart Surgery

In the past 18 years rapid strides have been made in surgery for valvular heart disease. With the development of the heart-lung machine it has been possible to perform open heart surgery and repair valves by techniques that allow for normal or near normal function of these valves. With marked destruction of these valves, however, it is necessary to replace them. With the improvement in design there are various prostheses that can be inserted with a low surgical mortality and with few complications. One of the remaining important complications which requires further work, however, is the problem of thromboembolization. However, this complication plays a far less prominent role than it did with the early prosthetic devices.