Cardiac Valve Replacement : Current Status

Cardiac Valve Replacement: Current Status is the proceedings of the Fourth Interna- tional Symposium on the ST. JUDE MEDICAL@ valve. The first three symposia on this topic were held primarily for designated investigators involved in clinical trials of the ST. JUDE MEDICAL valve. The last meeting, chaired by Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., was held in November 1982 [1], immediately before the valve was released for general clinical use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. These proceedings then are the first comprehensive compilation of clinical data since that time; and they include, particularly in the discussions, the experience of physicians other than the original clinical investigators. Over the past 5 years the character of these symposia has changed. Whereas the first two dealt almost entirely with the ST. JUDE MEDICAL valve, the last two have evolved into a more generic cardiac valvular surgery meeting, focusing primarily on valve replacement rather than valve repair [2]. Thus, these proceed- ings contain a wide spectrum of topics, including a keynote presentation on criteria for selection of cardiac valve substitutes in 1984, complications of cardiac valve replacement and their treatment, a review of the current status of cardiac valve substitutes other than the ST. JUDE MEDICAL valve and a consideration of cardiac valve replacement in special circumstances. Among these special circum- stances are four presentations on pediatric use of the ST. JUDE MEDICAL valve.