Baseline characteristics
A total number of 134 patients with severe AR were enrolled. The Mean age was 73.1±6.4 years and 25.4% were female (Table 1). The mean risk score according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) was 9.8±5.3%, while 131 patients (97.8%) were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III or IV. Four patients had previous cardiac surgery. Five patients had undergone a previous permanent pacemaker. In the present study, morbidity rates were higher for chronic lung disease (n=73, 54.5%), peripheral vascular disease (n=64, 47.8%), and cerebrovascular diseases (n=67, 50.0%).