Patient status five or more years after mitral valve replacement

Among 136 consecutive patients undergoing isolated mitral valve replacement prior to February, 1966, 30 died postoperatively and 33 died during the follow-up period that extended to nine years. The late deaths were due to cardiac causes in 13 patients, thromboembolism in 9, and miscellaneous causes in 8 and were sudden (cause undetermined) in 3. Of patients surviving five or more years after mitral valve replacement, 55% remained improved (40.4% of the entire group).