Shrinkage and degradation of the Delrin occluder in the tilting-disc valve prosthesis

Valve-related complications after mechanical heart valve implantation

The number of heart valve surgeries is increasing, and 19,164 patients underwent heart valve surgery in Japan in 2011. The early mortality rate has remained stable for more than 10 years. Many patients now survive for many years, with a reported 10-year survival rate of at least 60 %. However, unfavorable complications can occur after valve surgery. Valve-related complications include thromboembolisms, bleeding complications and prosthetic valve endocarditis, followed by structural and nonstructural prosthetic valve dysfunctions. Our review of studies published after 2000 revealed that the rate of all valve-related complications was 0.7-3.5 % per patient-year. Thromboembolisms occur at a rate of approximately 1 % per patient-year, and bleeding complications occur at almost 0.5 % per patient-year. Thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events related to anticoagulant therapy should be considered during life-long follow-up. The occurrence rate of endocarditis reaches 0.5 % per patient-year, with a poor postoperative survival. Structural dysfunctions have been largely overcome, and the nonstructural dysfunction rate is 0.4-1.2 % per patient-year. The nonstructural dysfunctions induced by paravalvular leaks and pannus ingrowth are also issues that need to be resolved.

A worn Björk-Shiley prosthetic valve without valve dysfunction observed during ascending aortic replacement

Key Clinical Message

The implanted first-generation Björk–Shiley valve in our patient was functioning well before aortic surgery, but we replaced the valve because we confirmed disc erosion 39 years after implantation during the surgery. We judged that the implanted valve was no longer capable of maintaining the patient's life.

Biomedical Applications of Biodegradable Polymers

Utilization of polymers as biomaterials has greatly impacted the advancement of modern medicine. Specifically, polymeric biomaterials that are biodegradable provide the significant advantage of being able to be broken down and removed after they have served their function. Applications are wide ranging with degradable polymers being used clinically as surgical sutures and implants. In order to fit functional demand, materials with desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical and degradation properties must be selected. Fortunately, a wide range of natural and synthetic degradable polymers has been investigated for biomedical applications with novel materials constantly being developed to meet new challenges. This review summarizes the most recent advances in the field over the past 4 years, specifically highlighting new and interesting discoveries in tissue engineering and drug delivery applications.