Mechanical Versus Biological Mitral Valve Replacement: Insights From Propensity Score Matching on Survival and Reoperation Rates

Determining the appropriate prosthetic for mitral valve replacement is an ongoing area of study. This article looked at trends at a single center over a period of 20 years and compared the use of biologic (1,658 patients) and mechanical valves (369 patients). Survival among groups was similar, however, patients with mechanical valves had significantly lower incidence for reoperation overall. The researchers discuss the established durability of mechanical valves, pitfalls of selection bias in patients of different age groups and across eras, and they share comparisons with existing data in the literature from other centers of excellence.