Patient characteristics of included studies
| Characteristic | Bioprosthetic valve | Mechanical valve | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) of patients* | Total no. of patients (no. of studies) | No. (%) of patients* | Total no. of patients (no. of studies) | No. (%) of patients* | Total no. of patients (no. of studies) | |
| Age, yr, mean | 64 | 2499 (20) | 64 | 1506 (20) | 65 | 3271 (21) |
| Duration of dialysis, yr, mean | 10 | 658 (7) | 13 | 418 (7) | 10 | 763 (10) |
| Coronary artery disease or previous myocardial infarction | 318 (16.2) | 1962 (11) | 164 (13.4) | 1225 (11) | 552 (16.5) | 3353 (14) |
| Congestive heart failure | 572 (43.3) | 1322 (7) | 390 (43.3) | 901 (7) | 958 (43.1) | 2223 (7) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction < 30% | 120 (8.3) | 1441 (5) | 78 (8.1) | 956 (5) | 198 (8.3) | 2397 (5) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction, %, mean | 51.5 | 944 (9) | 54.2 | 418 (9) | 51.7 | 947 (9) |
| Cerebral vascular attack | 326 (18.0) | 1814 (8) | 205 (18.1) | 1134 (8) | 533 (17.8) | 2992 (9) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 512 (22.7) | 2253 (12) | 257 (19.3) | 1316 (12) | 785 (23.0) | 3658 (13) |
| Peritoneal dialysis | 8 (8.8) | 91 (3) | 10 (9.5) | 105 (3) | 18 (9.4) | 192 (3) |
| Hemodialysis | 1253 (85.4) | 1467 (8) | 4241 (79.2) | 5358 (8) | 5508 (80.6) | 6834 (8) |
| Diabetes | 774 (36.6) | 2114 (13) | 409 (32.0) | 1327 (14) | 2319 (24.5) | 9484 (18) |
| Hypertension | 1605 (67.8) | 2368 (15) | 911 (64.0) | 1423 (16) | 4348 (44.3) | 9824 (20) |
| History of endocarditis | 185 (20.3) | 910 (9) | 64 (13.4) | 474 (10) | 291 (18.0) | 1616 (13) |
↵* Unless indicated otherwise.