Mitral valve repair with the new semirigid partial Colvin–Galloway Future annuloplasty band

ObjectiveVarious devices have been proposed for ring stabilization in patients with mitral valve disease. This study reports the intermediate-term results of mitral valve repair with a new semirigid partial annuloplasty ring in a large series of patients.MethodsA total of 437 consecutive patients were analyzed who underwent mitral valve reconstruction with annuloplasty using the Colvin–Galloway Future band at the German Heart Center in Munich between 2001 and 2005. A total of 237 patients (54.2%) underwent isolated mitral valve repair, and 200 patients (45.8%) underwent a combined procedure. The follow-up is 97% complete (mean follow-up of 405 survivors 2.1 ± 1.1 years).ResultsOverall 30-day mortality was 2.7%. Twenty patients (4.6%) died later after an average of 1.1 ± 1.1 years. Actuarial survival at 4 years after isolated mitral valve reconstruction and combined procedures was 91% ± 4% and 87% ± 2.5%, respectively (P < .001). Twelve patients (2.7%) required a mitral valve reoperation after an average of 4.5 ± 4.3 months. Five of these reoperations were required for band dehiscence, and 1 reoperation was required for band fracture. Freedom from reoperation at 4 years was 97% ± 0.9%. At the latest follow-up, 93.5% of the patients showed trivial or mild mitral valve regurgitation, and 86.4% of the patients showed New York Heart Association functional class I or II.ConclusionMitral valve annuloplasty with the Colvin–Galloway Future band can be performed with a low early and late mortality and an excellent functional outcome. The low incidence of reoperation demonstrates that the Colvin–Galloway Future band is a safe and effective device. The importance of secure anchoring of the device in the mitral annulus has to be emphasized to prevent band dehiscence