Basic characteristics of the study population
| Variables | Surgical group (n=46) | Control group (n=49) | P value surgical versus controls |
| Female, n (%) | 30 (65) | 37 (76) | 0.27 |
| Age, mean (SD), years* | 30.0 (8.6) | 25.9 (9.9) | 0.04 |
| NYHA class III–IV, n/a (%). | 21/46 (46) | 21/37 (57) | 0.30 |
| Height, mean (SD), cm* | 162 (9.5) | – | |
| Weight, mean (SD) kg* | 57.3 (13.1) | – | |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2† | 21.8 (4.3) | – | |
| Body surface area, mean (SD), m† * | 1.59 (0.20) | – | |
| Blood pressure systolic, mean (SD), mm Hg | 117 (21) | 107 (15) | <0.05 |
| Blood pressure diastolic, mean (SD), mm Hg | 73 (11) | 66 (12) | <0.05 |
| Heart rate, median (IQR), per minute | 80 (74–90) | 80 (78–92) | 0.17 |
| Serum creatinine, mean (SD) mg/dL | 0.93 (0.25) | – | |
| Time on waiting list/symptoms, median (IQR), years† | 10 (6–15) | 3 (1–5) | <0.01 |
| Antibiotics n/a (%) | 40/46 (87) | – | |
| Anticoagulation, n/a (%) | 26/46 (57) | 6/42 (14) | <0.01 |
| Beta-blocker, n/a (%) | 19/46 (41) | 6/49 (12) | <0.01 |
| Diuretics, n/a (%) | 35/46 (76) | 34/48 (71) | 0.56 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction ≤50, n/a (%) | 10/43 (23) | 3/36 (8) | 0.08 |
| Peak systolic artery pressure ≥60, n/a (%), mm Hg | 20/43 (47) | 10/15 (67) | 0.18 |
| Numbers of valves affected, mean (SD) | 1.8 (0.7) | 1.7 (0.7) | 0.66 |
| EuroSCORE II (%)* | 2.7 (1.7) | – | |
| Complications of RHD: | |||
| Atrial fibrillation, n/a (%) | 23/46 (50) | 7/39 (18) | <0.01 |
| Thromboembolic disease, n/a (%)‡ | 6/46 (13) | 0/41 (0) | 0.02 |
| Stroke, n/a (%) | 2/46 (4) | 0/41 (0) | 0.18 |
| Infective endocarditis, n/a (%)* | 2/46 (4) | 2/41 (5) | 0.91 |
| Heart failure, n/a (%)§ | 36/46 (78) | 36/49 (74) | 0.59 |
*Sex differences in the surgery group: age, women 28.1 versus men 33.6 years; height, women 156.7 vs men 171.4 cm; weight, women 53.5 vs men 64.3 kg; BSA, women 1.52 vs men 1.75 m2; infective endocarditis, women 0% versus men 13%; EuroSCORE II, women 3.3 vs men 1.6.
†For surgical patients: years of symptoms before surgery; for controls: years of symptoms before inclusion on the waiting list.
‡Thromboembolic disease: peripheral emboli, left atrial thrombus and valve thrombus.
§Heart failure: NYHA ≥2, structural heart disease and at least one of the following: >2 heart failure medicines, EF <50, TR v/max >3 m/s, pleural effusion/ascites, admissions with heart failure.
BSA, body surface area; EF, ejection fraction; n, numbers; n/a, numbers/available; NYHA, New York Heart Association; TR, tricuspid regurgitant.