Redo aortic valve surgery: Influence of prosthetic valve endocarditis on outcomes

Objective: Compared with reoperative aortic valve replacement for nonendocarditic causes, the contemporary risk and long-term outcomes of reoperation for aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis are ill-defined. Methods: Between December 1994 and April 2008, 313 patients underwent reoperative aortic valve replacement, of whom 152 (48.6%) had prosthetic valve endocarditis. Mean follow-up was 6.5 +/- 0.4 years and 97.4% complete. Results: Patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis were older with a higher risk profile. The overall hospital mortality was 15.3% (n = 48) (prosthetic valve endocarditis vs nonendocarditis: 24.3%, n = 37, vs 6.8%, n 11; P<.001). Independent predictors of perioperative mortality for prosthetic valve endocarditis were sepsis (odds ratio [OR], 6.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-21.0; P < .01), ejection fraction less than 30%(OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.3-25.0; P - .02), concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.1-9.8; P - .03), and aortic root abscess (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.4; P = .02), and for the nonendocarditis group were concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (OR, 8.1; 95% CI, 2.0-33.0; P < .01), and mitral valve surgery (OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 1.3-17.9; P = .02). The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survivals for patients with and without prosthetic valve endocarditis were 52% +/- 4% versus 82% +/- 3%, 43% +/- 5% versus 73% +/- 4%, 37% +/- 5% versus 63% +/- 5%, and 31% +/- 7% versus 56% +/- 8%, respectively (log rank < 0.001). Predictors of long-term mortality in prosthetic valve endocarditis were sepsis (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.5-4.5; P < .01) and unstable preoperative status (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-3.5; P = .04), whereas in nonendocarditis patients the only predictor was New York Heart Association class IV (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 2.8-7.4; P < .01). Five-year actuarial freedom from endocarditis was 80% +/- 0.3% versus 95% +/- 0.6% (prosthetic valve endocarditis cersus nonendocarditis; P = .002). Conclusions: Despite contemporary therapy, reoperation for aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis is still associated with relatively high perioperative mortality and limited long-term survival. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2011;142:99-105)