Strut Fractures with the Bjork–Shiley Valve

To the Editor: The Bjork–Shiley 60-degree Convexo–Concave heart valve is one of the most widely used mechanical valve prostheses. It consists of two struts on either side of a convex–concave disk occluder. The inlet strut is integral to the valve ring, and the outlet strut is welded to the valve ring. Reports in the literature have discussed seven incidents of a usually fatal complication in which the welded outlet strut of the valve has separated from the ring, leading in all cases to an escape of the disk from the valve.^{1 2 3 4 5 6} Although the authors of these reports have generally stated.