Outcomes of Mechanical Mitral Valve Replacement in Children

Ibezim and colleagues examined outcomes for patients undergoing their first mechanical mitral valve replacement (M-MVR) before 21 years of age. Using information from the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium database, the authors performed a retrospective analysis of 441 children from 36 centers in the United States. Nearly 60% of patients were less than 6 years old when they underwent their first M-MVR, and the most common diagnoses were complete and partial atrioventricular canal defects. Mortality within 90 days was 11.1%, and 76% of patients who survived more than 90 days were still alive and transplant-free after 20 years. Early risk factors were age younger than 2 years and concurrent mechanical valve replacement of another valve.