Premature Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Degeneration Associated with Allergy to Galactose-Alpha-1,3-Galactose.

We present the cases of two patients with bioprosthetic aortic valves who developed an allergy to alpha-gal. Each had premature degeneration of their bioprosthesis and demonstrated rapidly increasing transvalvular gradients after development of their allergy. Each underwent successful replacement with a mechanical aortic valve within 1-2 years of symptom onset. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12764 (J Card Surg 2016;31:446-448).