Survival rates strong following low-risk cardiac surgery

Editor's Note

A new study in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery finds that long-term survival rates are extremely promising for patients who receive low-risk isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The study, titled "Survival Following Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients: A Contemporary Trial Benchmark," was published on October 17.

The study looked at 42,586 patients who underwent low-risk isolated SAVR between 2011 and 2019 at 981 different US cardiac surgery programs. The assessment used evidence from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database, the nation’s largest clinical registry for cardiothoracic disease, with nearly 10 million patient records. It also looked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Death Index (NDI) for very accurate survival information following heart and lung operations. 

Overall, 92.9% of patients survived after 5 years. Additionally, 8-year survival was close to 90%.

The study revealed that longitudinal outcomes of SAVR are outstanding and provides cardiologists and surgeons an important perspective as they decide the best options for their patients.