An article on good results after aortic valve replacement in Iceland was recently published in the Journal of Heart Valve Disease. The article is based on the research of a team of Icelandic surgeons from the Department of cardiothoracic surgery at Landspítali, University Hospital, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Iceland, and the Icelandic Heart Association. The results show that survival rates in people who had undergone aortic valve replacement were comparable to other Icelanders of the same age groups and genders that had not undergone such surgery. The study revealed that 94% of patients survived the operation and five years later 82% of them were still alive. These are good results, not least in light of the relatively high age of the patients – most of them are over seventy and suffer from serious heart disease caused by aortal stenosis.
Aortal valve replacement is the second most common heart operation in Western countries. Annually there are around fifty such operations in Iceland. The operation involves the use of a heart-lung machine; the heart is stopped, the damaged valve removed and a new valve put in its place. The most common replacement is an organic valve from a calf or a pig. The most common reason for such operations is stenosis that constricts the valve, making it difficult for the heart to empty itself and pump blood into the body. An ageing population will mean more such operations in coming decades. Research into the utility and results of these operations is thus crucial.
The study followed 366 patients who underwent the operation over a ten year period, from 2002 to 2011. The survival rates of the patients were evaluated using a statistical model, and they were compared to Icelanders of the same gender and age. The research covered a whole nation, and followed up on all the patients, which is rare in comparable studies elsewhere.
The study forms a part of Sindra A. Viktorsson’s doctoral thesis. Sindri is a doctor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Iceland. Tómas Guðbjartsson, Professor and Chief Surgeon led the research, and supervised the thesis.
The article can be found here: http://www.icr-heart.com/?cid=4211&g=3