Postsurgical complications of aortic valve replacement in middle-aged people: an exploratory review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the world's leading cause of death, claiming the lives of approximately 18 million people each year, 80% of them in low- and middle-income countries . We say that it is the most difficult intervention because of its cardiac and vascular anatomical composition. Its injury would be extremely dangerous because it would compromise the circulatory and respiratory system, which would generate an aggravation of the patient or his death. That is why the WHO in 2016 calculated the number of deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases for Colombia at 83,987, added to the post-surgical complications derived from them. The causes that affect the heart and especially the aortic valve range from circulatory difficulty to mechanical failure, so we know that every year more people die from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) than from any other cause. This means the high need and demand for a surgical intervention; indispensable to safeguard the life of patients, for this reason we wonder what are the post-surgical complications of aortic valve replacement surgery in middle-aged people?

Objective: To identify the types of post-surgical complications of aortic valve replacement in middle-aged people in the first six months after surgery.

Methodology: PRISMA protocol for exploratory literature reviews and its extension for exploratory literature reviews. Methodological quality was assessed with PEDro, and study characteristics were extracted independently.

Result: 28 studies included in the review, with scores between 6 and 9, of good and excellent methodological quality. The most frequent post-surgical complications were surgical reintervention, post-surgical bleeding, thrombosis or thromboembolism.

Conclusion: Complications of aortic valve replacement are frequent in the middle-aged population.