Results of implanting aortic valve xenografts into the tricuspid position

: From 1968 to 1976 transplantation of the tricuspid valve was performed on 47 patients with combined form of rheumatic heart disease. Hospital mortality was 36%. The follow-up period in 30 cases ranged from one to 7 1/2 years. Ten patients died in the late postoperative periods, only in one of them the cause of death was associated with incompetence of the transplanted valve. According to the findings of dynamic clinical follow-up, the function of the transplant in the other patients was quite satisfactory; at the same time, peculiarities of the phonocardiographic picture of valves treated by different methods were revealed.