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Objective: To compare survival and outcome in patients receiving a mechanical or bioprosthetic heart valve prosthesis. Design: Randomised prospective trial. Setting: Tertiary cardiac centre. Patients: Between 1975 and 1979, patients were randomised to receive either a Bjork-Shiley or a porcine prostheses. The mitral valve was replaced in 261 patients, the aortic in 211, and both valves in 61 patients. Follow up now averages 20 years. Main outcome measures: Death, reoperation, bleeding, embolism, and endocarditis. Results: After 20 years there was no difference in survival (Bjork-Shiley v porcine prosthesis (mean (SEM)): 25.0 (2.7)% v 22.6 (2.7)%, log rank test p = 0.39). Reoperation for valve failure was undertaken in 91 patients with porcine prostheses and in 22 with Bjork-Shiley prostheses. An analysis combining death and reoperation as end points confirmed that Bjork-Shiley patients had improved survival with the original prosthesis intact (23.5 (2.6)% v 6.7 (1.6)%, log rank test p < 0.0001); this difference became apparent after 8-10 years in patients undergoing mitral valve replacement, and after 12-14 years in those undergoing aortic valve replacement. Major bleeding was more common in Bjork-Shiley patients (40.7 (5.4)% v 27.9 (8.4)% after 20 years, p = 0.008), but there was no significant difference in major embolism or endocarditis. Conclusions: Survival with an intact valve is better among patients with the Bjork-Shiley spherical tilting disc prosthesis than with a porcine prosthesis but there is an attendant increased risk of bleeding.

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Objective-To evaluate the eVectiveness of a nurse led shared care programme to improve coronary heart disease risk factor levels and general health status and to reduce anxiety and depression in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Design-Randomised controlled trial. Setting-Community, January 1997 to March 1998. Study groups-98 (75 male) consecutive patients were recruited to the study within one month of joining the waiting list for elective CABG at Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust. Patients were randomly assigned to usual care (control; n = 49) or a nurse led intervention programme (n = 49). Intervention-A shared care programme consisting of health education and motivational interviews, according to individual need, was carried out monthly. Care was provided in the patients' own homes by the community based cardiac liaison nurse alternating with the general practice nurse at the practice clinic. Outcome measures-Smoking status, obesity, physical activity, anxiety and depression, general health status, and proportion of patients exceeding target values for blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, and alcohol intake. Results-Compared with patients who received usual care, those participating in the nurse led programme were more likely to stop smoking (25% v 2%, p = 0.001) and to reduce obesity (body mass index > 30 kg/m 2 ) (16.3% v 8.1%, p = 0.01). Target systolic blood pressure improved by 19.8% compared with a 10.7% decrease in the control group (p = 0.001) and target diastolic blood pressure improved by 21.5% compared with 10.2% in the control group (p = 0.000). However, there was no significant diVerence between groups in the proportion of patients with cholesterol concentrations exceeding target values. There was a significant improvement in general health status scores across all eight domains of the 36 item short form health survey with changes in diVerence in mean scores between the groups ranging from 8.1 (p = 0.005) to 36.1 (p < 0.000). Levels of anxiety and depression improved (p < 0.000) and there was improvement in time spent being physically active (p < 0.000). Conclusions-This nurse led shared care intervention was shown to be eVective for improving care for patients on the waiting list for CABG. (Heart 2001;86:317-323) Keywords: coronary artery bypass grafting; coronary heart disease risk; nurse led shared care; risk reduction Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has been shown to be a highly eVective intervention for the relief of angina, improving quality of life and for some patients prolonging life. [1][2][3][4] There has been a 10-fold increase in CABG surgery procedures in the UK, from approximately 3000 a year in 1977, either as a single procedure or together with another cardiac procedure, to almost 25 000 operations in 1995.5 In Scotland, rates of CABG are among the highest in the UK, at 448 operations per million of the population in 1995. The national guaranteed maximum waiting time is one year with a mean waiting time on National Health ...