Advantages of the Beall Valve Prosthesis

Followup of 29 patients with a Beall mitral valve prosthesis has shown important advantages over the Kay-Shiley valve. No late deaths and no emboli were noted during an average 14 month (range 8 to 27 months) followup. Mitral insufficiency was not noted clinically or by angiography. Hemodynamic studies in nine patients 16 months postoperation showed improvement. Although all patients had evidence of prosthetic obstruction postoperatively, particularly during exercise, good symptomatic improvement, lack of emboli and preservation of disc motion, reflect advantages of this valve over others.