A 43-year-old functional Starr-Edwards ball and cage mechanical aortic valve

Abstract

The Starr-Edwards ball and cage valves were among the first and most commonly used mechanical valve devices. These valves offered a novel design that would become one of the mainstays for replacement of severely diseased heart valves in the early second half of the twentieth century. We describe the case of a patient with a Starr-Edwards ball and cage valve in the aortic position that was replaced 40 years earlier who was admitted with concerns for symptoms of new volume overload. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated a functional mechanical aortic valve with no evidence of compromise. The patient was treated with diuretics for congestive heart failure exacerbation and on 3 years follow-up was doing well. This is one of the few cases reported of a patient with Starr-Edwards ball and cage aortic valve functioning normally extending into the fifth decade without signs of significant instability.