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Title: Adults With Aortic Valve Disorder Experience Subsequent Cardiac Events, But No Reduction in Survival Rates
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22C9F6.htm
Doctor's Guide
September 17, 2008

CHICAGO -- September 17, 2008 -- Young adults with a bicuspid aortic valve experience subsequent cardiac events but do not appear to have lower survival rates compared with the general population, according to a study in the September 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Nikolaos Tzemos, MD, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, and Samuel C. Siu, MD, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, and colleagues examined the cardiac outcomes and disease progression in 642 adults (average age 35 y), with bicuspid aortic valve who were followed up for an average period of 9 years.

One or more primary cardiac events (cardiac death, intervention on the aortic valve or ascending aorta, aortic tearing or aneurysm, or congestive heart failure requiring hospital admission) occurred in 161 patients (25%), which included intervention on aortic valve or ascending aorta in 142 patients (22%), aortic tearing or aneurysm in 11 patients (2%), or congestive heart failure requiring hospital admission in 16 patients (2%).

Independent predictors of primary cardiac events were patients aged older than 30 years, moderate or severe aortic narrowing, and moderate or severe aortic regurgitation.

There were a total of 28 deaths (4%), of which 17 were cardiac-related (3%) and 11 were not related to a cardiac cause. The cardiac death rate was 0.3% per patient-year of follow-up.

When compared with age- and sex-matched population estimates, the overall mortality was not significantly different between the bicuspid aortic valve group and in the population estimates. The 5-year average survival was 97% in both the bicuspid aortic valve group and in the population estimates. The 10-year survival was similar in both the bicuspid aortic valve group (96%) and in the population estimates (97%).

"Outcome differences between present and prior studies can be attributed to differences in the era that patients were examined, the population that was examined, the frequency of cardiac events associated with high mortality, and advances in perioperative management," the authors wrote.

"Young adults with bicuspid aortic valve have a high likelihood of eventually requiring interventions on the aortic valve and/or aorta and will need serial surveillance of aortic valve and aortic dimensions."


SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association

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