Cf. Kirzner et al., HEMODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SMALL AORTIC ATS MEDICAL VALVESBY DOPPLER-ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Journal of heart valve disease, 6(6), 1997, pp. 661-665
Background and aims of the study: The ATS Medical valve was first impl
anted in 1992. The purpose of this report was to establish the normal
range of each hemodynamic parameter, measured by Doppler echocardiogra
phy, in small aortic ATS Medical valves. Methods: Twenty-five patients
with small aortic ATS Medical valves, operated on over six months, an
d with no cardiac or prosthetic dysfunction, in sinus rhythm, on adequ
ate oral anticoagulant therapy, and no other valve prosthesis or signi
ficant valvulopathy, were reviewed on the basis of physical examinatio
n and transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. Results: For the aortic
21 Standard ATS Medical valve (n = 10), the following values were regi
stered: peak velocity 2.40 +/- 0.39 m/s; peak gradient 23.7 +/- 6.8 mm
Hg; mean gradient 12.6 +/- 4.0 mmHg; valve effective orifice area 1.73
+/- 0.41 cm(2); Doppler velocity index 0.47 +/- 0.11. For the aortic
19 Standard ATS Medical valve (n = 9), these values were: 3.41 +/- 0.4
3 m/s; 47.0 +/- 12.6 mmHg; 26.2 +/- 7.9 mmHg; 0.96 +/- 0.18 cm(2); and
0.32 +/- 0.06, respectively. For the aortic 16 AP ATS Medical valve (
n = 6), these parameters were 3.44 +/- 0.47 m/s; 47.7 +/- 12.0 mmHg; 2
7.0 +/- 7.3 mmHg; 0.61 +/- 0.09 cm(2); and 0.30 +/- 0.04, respectively
. Conclusions: Using Doppler echocardiography, the present study estab
lishes the normal range of parameters which define the hemodynamic per
formance of the aortic 21 and 19 Standard and 16 AP ATS Medical valves
, and demonstrates satisfactory hemodynamic performance of the aortic
21 and 19 Standard ATS Medical valves. It should be noted that the val
ve effective orifice area determined for the aortic 16 AP ATS Medical
valve was smaller than that for the aortic 19 Standard ATS Medical val
ve, though these two prostheses have the same physical orifice area.