The Complete Supraannular Concept

Abstract

Background— Complete supraannular placement of an aortic bioprosthesis is one approach to optimize the hemodynamic result of an aortic valve replacement. It is achieved with the combination of a special valve design and the supraannular sewing technique with noneverted mattress sutures. We evaluated 5 bioprostheses designed for complete supraannular placement to assess potential hemodynamic differences caused by factors (eg, valve material) other than implantation position. Methods and Results— In 336 patients (mean age, 72.0±7.1 years; 143 women), hemodynamics including mean pressure gradients, effective orifice areas, and indices and incidence of patient-prosthesis mismatch were evaluated 6 months after surgery. Annulus diameter was measured during surgery. Patients received the Carpentier Edwards Perimount Magna (Magna, n=169), the Medtronic Mosaic (Mosaic, n=46), the Mosaic Ultra (Ultra, n=17), the SJM Epic Supra (Epic, n=46), and the Sorin Soprano (Soprano, n=58). For small annulus sizes (<23 mm), the mean pressure gradients of the Magna (11.82±4.8 mm Hg) were significantly lower than the Mosaic (16.04±6.1 mm Hg) and the Ultra (22.0±4.1 mm Hg), and the Soprano (13.3±5.2 mm Hg) was hemodynamically superior to the Ultra. For medium (23 to 24 mm) and large (>24 mm) annulus sizes, the mean pressure gradients of the Magna were lower than the Epic (10.0±3.5 mm Hg versus 14.9±6.4 mm Hg; 9.9±4.0 mm Hg versus 18.6±12.7 mm Hg). Furthermore, in patients with large annulus size, the mean pressure gradients of the Soprano (11.4±3.8 mm Hg) were lower compared with the Epic (18.5±12.7 mm Hg). Severe patient-prosthesis mismatch was observed more frequently in patients with the Mosaic (12/46; 26.1%) and the Ultra (3/17; 17.6%) prostheses. Conclusions— Complete supraannular placement cannot prevent high pressure gradients or patient-prosthesis mismatch thoroughly, but the choice of a bovine prosthesis can optimize hemodynamic performance.