ObjectiveTo investigate clinical outcomes and summarize perioperative management experience of heart valve replacement (HVR)in elderly patients. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 47 elderly patients undergoing HVR in Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College from January 2011 to May 2014. There were 19 male and 28 female patients with their age of 60-79 years. There were 35 patients with rheumatic heart disease, 10 patients with degenerative valvular disease, and 2 patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve. Preoperatively, there were 23 patients in NYHA functional class Ⅱ, 19 patients in class Ⅲ, and 5 patients in class Ⅳ. All the patients received HVR under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and some patients received concomitant tricuspid valvuloplasty (TVP), left atrial thrombectomy or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Postoperative mortality, morbidity and heart function improvement were evaluated. ResultsTwenty-seven patients received mitral valve replacement (MVR), 15 patients received aortic valve replacement (AVR), and 5 patients received MVR+AVR. Concomitantly, 4 patients received TVP, 3 patients received left atrial thrombectomy, and 6 patients received CABG. Operation time was 138-412 (196±52)minutes, CPB time was 48-301 (108±33)minutes, aortic cross-clamping time was 34-196 (87±21)minutes, and length of hospital stay was 12-31 (19±5)days. There was no intraoperative death, and 2 patients (4.3%)died postoperatively because of left ventricular failure and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome respectively. Twenty-three patients (51.1%)had postoperative complications including respiratory failure in 6 patients, pulmonary infection in 5 patients, arrhythmias in 5 patients, wound infection in 2 patients, pleural effusion in 2 patients, low cardiac output syndrome in 2 patients, and acute renal failure in 1 patient. Forty-five survival patients were followed up by telephone, online video and at the outpatient department for 1-32 months, and follow-up rate was 100%. There were 11 patients in NYHA functional classⅠ, 32 patients in class Ⅱ, and 2 patients in class Ⅲ. ConclusionAccording to clinical characteristics of elderly patients with valvular heart disease, meticulous surgical techniques and perioperative management can effectively reduce mortality and morbidity after HVR.