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IVth International Symposium on Cardiac Bioprostheses

The IVth International Symposium on Cardiac Bioprostheses was held at the Del Coronardo Hotel on April 15-17, 1988. There were sessions on homograft, porcine, and bovine valves, including both stent mounted and unmounted devices. There was a combination of long-term data on the early versions of these devices, midterm information on improved models as well as some early material on new developments. There were also sessions on experimental valves and on the factors leading to bioprosthetic deterioration. From the 47 papers and 16 posters presented, we have selected 20 papers for publication in this special supplement to the Journal of Cardiac Surgery. We were limited in our selection by severe space constraints, and some excellent presentations were not received in time for publication. Some papers not published in this supplement are published in the accompanying regular issue and will be included in the December and March regular issues of the journal. We are grateful to Futura Publishing and the editor of the journal for their help in producing this supplement so soon after presentation. It was readily evident at this meeting that the actuarial reporting of structural deterioration and linearized incidence of complications is standardized and permits significant comparison of experiences from different centers. With bioprostheses, the linearized incidence of thromboembolism, hemorrhage, and bacterial endocarditis is consistent among centers and is intrinsic to the patient with valvular heart disease. It remains the only valve that can be used safely without anticoagulation therapy and the attendant risks of hemorrhage. The description of structural deterioration becomes, therefore, the major controversial element with the use of these valve replacement devices.