Cross‐sectional area index of left ventricular myocardium as a risk factor influencing early and late postoperative survival in aortic regurgitation

Abstract

Late cardiogenic death after aortic valve replacement in aortic regurgitation is still a most important unresolved problem. We studied how the extent of cross-sectional area index (CSAI) relates to early and late cardiogenic deaths after aortic valve replacement (AVR) in aortic regurgitation with normal coronary artery. Forty-one patients were classified into two groups: Group I having CSAI greater than 20 cm2/m2 (18 patients), and Group II, in whom CSAI was less than 20 cm2/m2 (23 patients). All preoperative factors in patients with CSAI greater than or equal to 20 cm2/m2 showed poor values compared with patients with CSAI less than 20 cm2/m2 with a statistical difference of 63 +/- 6 versus 56 +/- 4% in cardiothoracic ratio, 72 +/- 9 versus 64 +/- 8 mm in diastolic dimension, 54 +/- 9 versus 43 +/- 7 mm in systolic dimension, 25 +/- 7 versus 32 +/- 6% in fractional shortening, 326 +/- 60 versus 209 +/- 63 ml/m2 in end-diastolic volume index, 177 +/- 52 versus 81 +/- 29 ml/m2 in end-systolic volume index, and 47 +/- 14 versus 58 +/- 5% in ejection fraction (mean +/- SD). In Group II, there were no postoperative cardiac deaths and no patient was subjected to intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). In contrast, in Group I, 17% died from postoperative low output syndrome and 33% were subjected to IABP. Concerning late deaths, there was no cardiac death in any CSAI patient with less than 20 cm2/m2; however, 22% of the patients with CSAI greater than or equal to 20 cm2/m2 died from cardiac causes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)