OBJECTIVETo explore the prognostic value of hyperuricemia for adverse events in patients >40 years old receiving valve replacement surgery for rheumatic aortic valve disease.

METHDSConsecutive middle-aged and elderly patients receiving aortic valve replacement surgery for rheumatic aortic valve disease between March, 2009 and July, 2013 were recruited in this study. The patients were divided into hyperuricemic group and normouricemic group based on their serum levels of uric acid, and the clinical data and adverse events within 1 year after the surgery were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTSA total of 632 consecutive patients were recruited, including 381 patients with hyperuricemia and 251 with normouricemia. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in hyperuricemic group than in normouricemic group (7.6% vs 2.0%, P=0.002). Serum uric acid levels were negatively correlated with eGFR (r=-0.421, P<0.001) and positively correlated with C-reactive protein level (r=0.093, P=0.025). Multivariate analysis showed that hyperuricemia was independently associated with the in-hospital mortality (OR=3.07, 95%CI: 1.13-8.37, P=0.028) and mortality at 1 year after the surgery (HR=3.14, 95%CI: 1.30-7.62, P=0.011) after adjusting for potential risk factors including age, NYHA III-IV and postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative rate of 1-year mortality after surgery was significantly higher in patients with hyperuricemia (Log-rank=11.73, P=0.001).

CONCLUSIONHyperuricemia is a predictor of in-hospital and one-year mortality in middle-aged and elderly patients following aortic valve replacement surgery for rheumatic aortic valve disease.