“…This includes four Teflon cusp fatalities, who are included since the necessity for cusp replacement was an expression of a failed debridement. Hospital mortality rates in other large series vary considerably; with Mulder, Kattus, Fonkalsrud, and Longmire (1963) hospital mortality was 14%, with McGoon, Ellis, andKirklin (1965) 14%, Cronin, Reid, Scott, andDobell (1963) 25%, Scannell, Shaw, Burke, Austen, andSaurbrey (1963) 27%, andBaker andSomerville (1964) 31 %. Considerably better results were achieved by Morrow, Austen, and Braunwald (1963) with an 8% hospital mortality, by Hufnagel andConrad (1962) 6%, andHancock, Hultgren, andShumway (1965) Scannell et al (1963) 9% over two to five years, Hancock et al (1965) 10% over an average of 28 months, andMorrow et al (1963) 8 % andHufnagel andConrad (1962) 12% over one year.…”