Background: To evaluate the short and long-term results of cryopreserved aortic viable homograft (CAVH) in the treatment of active aortic endocarditis.
Methods: From January 1992 to December 2002, 104 patients (23 females, 81 males) with a mean age 51 +/- 13 years (from 14 to 77) underwent CAVH replacement for active aortic valve endocarditis. Seventy-six patients (73%) had endocarditis of the native aortic valve, 28 (27%) had endocarditis of prosthetic aortic valve; among them, eight had a recurrent infection. Eighty-three patients (80%) had isolated aortic endocarditis. Plurivalvular endocarditis was observed in 21 (20%) patients, (aortic and mitral in 16 patients, aortic and tricuspid in 5). Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was systematically used. Anatomical lesions included perforations in 89 (86%) patients, vegetations in 79 (77%) patients and periannular extensions in 60 (58%) patients. Precise bacteriologic diagnosis was available in 82 (80%) patients.
Results: Cryopreserved aortic viable homografts were inserted using the aortic root replacement technique in 93 (89%) patients and the subcoronary technique in 11 (11%) patients. Associated procedures were performed in 38 (37%) patients: mitral (n = 23) and tricuspid (n = 3) valve repair, partial homograft mitral valve replacement (n = 3), partial homograft tricuspid valve replacement (n = 3), coronary bypass graft (n = 3), and ascending aorta replacement (n = 3). Hospital mortality was 5 (5%) patients. Causes of death included: myocardial infarction (n = 2), myocardial failure (n = 2), and multiorgan failure (n = 1). During follow-up (61 +/- 36 months, from 6 months to 136 months), 9 secondary deaths occurred (2 were cardiac related), 14 aortic valvular redo surgeries were performed (2 for nonstructural failure, 6 for structural failure, and 6 for endocarditis). Actuarial survival at ten years was 83%, with 93% of the patients free from cardiac death. At ten years, actuarial rate for freedom from reoperation was 76% and freedom from recurrent endocarditis was 93%. No thromboembolic complications were observed.
Conclusions: The CAVH has proven its effectiveness in treating the destructive lesions of active aortic endocarditis. It has provided satisfactory immediate and long-term results. Allowing the possibility to avoid a prosthetic material, CAVH could represent an option for surgically treating active aortic endocarditis more rapidly.