The right choice of prosthesis for patients undergoing aortic valve surgery: Searching the truth

Abstract

Aortic valve surgery is suggested when native aortic valve is diseased and complications outweigh the risks. Choice of prosthesis for aortic valve surgery is vastly undetermined, in part due to the varied options (bioprosthetic, mechanical prosthesis, homografts and allografts) available. The technical issues during valve surgery and the anticoagulation concerns along with the patient type with respect to age, ethnicity, sex and quality of life do contribute to the challenge for deciding the type of valve prosthesis best substituted to the diseased native valve. Here we attempt to unravel the controversies and present a holistic approach towards settling on the best possible prosthesis for a diseased aortic valve.

Acute Cardiac Care: Subspecialty Accreditation ante Portas

“…To work towards that end, the WG has prepared the Core Curriculum for a subspecialty on Acute Cardiac Care and the Accreditation will start later this year. The complexity of this subspecialty is reflected also in the contents of every issue of our journal (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). In the current issue a broad spectrum of subjects is presented, from acute coronary syndromes to arrhythmias, acute heart failure, hyponatremia and ventricular assist devices.…”