Surgical Treatment of the Cardiac Manifestations of Relapsing Polychondritis: Overview of 33 Patients Identified Through Literature Review and the Mayo Clinic Records

Cardiac involvement is more prominent in the male population and requires more invasive procedures. Aortic valve replacement with composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta along with coronary artery ostial reimplantation should be considered in these patients. Postsurgical valvular complications include prosthetic dehiscence, paravalvular leakage, mediastinitis, and heart failure, and these complications are associated with postoperative corticosteroid therapy. Initiation of second-line immunosuppressive therapy should be substituted for corticosteroids after cardiac surgery.