Massive aortic incompetence associated with the Björk-Shiley prosthesis.

Abstract

Smith, G. H., and Chandra, K. (1973) . Thorax , 28 , 627-630. Massive aortic incompetence associated with the Bjork-Shiley prosthesis . Three patients are described. In each, a diseased aortic valve was replaced by a Bjork-Shiley valve prosthesis. For different reasons, ventricular fibrillation occurred when the patient was still on cardiopulmonary bypass. In these circumstances, a massive leak occurred through the valve and caused overdistension of the left ventricle. Subsequent examination of the valves in the laboratory showed that, under the conditions described above, there was a leakage equal in volume to half the forward flow.