Emergency aortic valve replacement for critical aortic stenosis - A lifesaving treatment for patients with cardiogenic shock and multiple organ failure

Objective: To demonstrate that emergency aortic valve replacement can be successfully performed in patients with critical aortic stenosis and reduced left ventricular function even in cardiogenic shock with associated severe multiple organ failure. Design: Retrospective, consecutive case series. Setting: Multidisciplinary intensive care unit of a tertiary care university hospital. Patients: Five patients admitted to the intensive care unit with critical aortic stenosis (aortic valve area 0.56 +/- 0.13 cm(2)) and greatly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (20 +/- 3 %) in prolonged cardiogenic shock and associated multiple organ failure (Multiple organ failure score 6.8 +/- 0.5; Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation III score 91 +/- 27). Intervention: Emergency aortic valve replacement. Results: All patients survived with full recovery of organ function. At follow-up (18 +/- 10 months) all patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II with improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction to 48 +/- 25 %. Conclusions: This excellent outcome suggests that emergency aortic valve replacement should be strongly considered in patients with critical aortic stenosis even in cardiogenic shock and multiple organ failure.