The linearized rates of numbers of valve-related morbid events and echocardiographic examinations of 109 patients who had undergone the Ross operation were analyzed for 288.7 cumulative patient-years to calculate the Objective Performance Criteria (OPC) that have recently been established for heart valve prostheses. Compared with tissue and mechanical valves, the OPC in events per patient-year for the Ross operation were: thromboembolism 0% (tissue, 2.5% versus mechanical, 3%), valve thrombosis 0% (0.2% versus 0.8%), all bleeding 0% (1.4% versus 3.5%), major bleeding 0% (0.9% versus 1.5%), all leakage 0.7% (1.2% versus 1.2%), major leakage 0.7% (1.2% versus 1.2%) and endocarditis 0.7% (1.2% versus 1.2%). With low valve-related complication rates, the OPC for tissue and mechanical heart valve prostheses can be fulfilled by the technically demanding Ross operation.