Aortic valve replacement with 'stentless' versus mechanical prosthesis: what difference in postoperative ICU course?

Aortic valve prosthesis determine a transvalvular gradient (Δp) with changes in aortic flow that can affect left ventricular geometry and function, implanted prosthesis and aortic route. In order to improve prognosis a new prosthesis has been proposed, the so called 'stentless valve' (SV), whose main characteristic is the absence of the supporting ring. Aim of our study was to evaluate if such valve could influence early postoperative course in ICU.