Evaluation of valve sound and its effects on ATS prosthetic valves in patients' quality of life

Background. We interviewed patients and carried out frequency analyses to c ompare the closing sounds of ATS and St. Jude Medical (STM) prosthetic valv es. Methods. Forty-five patients undergoing valve replacements using ATS valves were investigated. We interviewed patients at 1 month and 1 year after the operation, and carried out frequency analysis to investigate the prostheti c valve's closing sound. Results. According to the results of the interviews, 84.4% of patients with ATS valves were not aware of the valve sounds. ATS valves scored significa ntly lower than SJM valves on audibility of the valve sound, disturbance du ring daytime, sleep disturbance, request for replacement with a soundless p rosthetic valve, audibility to others, and noise index. According to the fr equency analysis on the prosthetic valve's closing sound, the sound peak of the ATS valves was around 1.2 kHz, and the sound pressure of the ATS valve s was significantly lower than that of the SJM valves. Conclusions. Though a further long-term observation on thromboembolism and hemolysis is needed for evaluation of prosthetic valves, the ATS valve is p resently considered to impart a better quality of life. (C) 2000 by The Soc iety of Thoracic Surgeons.