The Canadian journal of cardiology
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Between 1979 and 1985, 552 Ionescu-Shiley valves were implanted in 511 patients. The Hancock valve was implanted in 122 patients (129 valves) between 1982 and 1983. Sixty percent of procedures were isolated aortic valve replacements. ⋯ Actuarial survival for the former was 73 +/- 4% at 72 months, and 65 +/- 14% for Hancock valves at 60 months. The frequency of major events during follow-up (thromboembolism, anticoagulant related hemorrhage, bland perivalvular leak and prosthetic valve endocarditis) were similar, but the frequency of primary tissue valve failure was markedly different for the two valves (1.1% per patient-year for Ionescu-Shiley valves and 5.9% for the Hancock valve). The mean interval to replacement of an Ionescu mitral prosthesis was significantly shorter (23.4 months) than for replacement of an aortic prosthesis (42 months) while the mean interval to replacement of an Ionescu aortic and/or a Hancock aortic or mitral were all similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)