Surgical treatment of left-sided prosthetic valve thrombosis: short and long-term results

We report a single center experience of surgical treatment of 30 cases of left-sided prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT). In our series, a diagnosis of PVT was established based on clinical and echocardiographic examinations. Thrombosis was the major etiologic factor in 25 patients (83.3%), while 22 of 25 patients (88%) had a subtherapeutic anticoagulation level. The early hospital mortality rate was 7.1% in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes II - III, and 31.3% in NYHA functional class IV. The median interval from the surgical procedure to follow-up for these patients was 29.2 months. No recurrence or deaths were observed during 3 to 73 months following the surgical procedure.