Over 1,900 patients who underwent heart valve replacement in 1998 responded to a questionnaire about the date of their operation, if they had received an implant card, and the interval between operation and card receipt.
Nearly half of the patients had not received an implant card 12 months after their operation. Furthermore, patients who had not received the implant card six months postoperatively were unlikely ever to do so, add the authors.
This situation could easily be improved by authorising the heart valve registry to send the implant card to the patient, say the authors. This would remove the manufacturer and clinician from the process, would be cost effective, could be financed through a small charge per valve implanted, and would contribute to patients surveillance, they conclude.