Trends in Aortic Valve Surgery in a Large Multi-Surgeon, Multi-Hospital Practice, 1979-1999
William F. Northrup, III, MD, Karen A. DuBois RN, Vibhu R. Kshettry MD, John M. Teskey MD, Demetre M. Nicoloff MD

Trends in aortic valve operations (AVO) may help to predict the future of cardiac surgery in the context of changing case mix, population demographics, emerging technology and shifting paradigms. Since 1996, coronary artery bypass volumes have decreased, while AVO numbers have continued to increase. The prevalence of mechanical valve implants has decreased in favor of tissue valves, especially stented xenografts and homografts. A paradigm shift for AVO seems to be favoring tissue rather than mechanical solutions.