[Hemolysis indicators in the evaluation of the function of artificial heart valves after heart valve prosthesis].

Hemolysis of blood was studied in two groups of patients: the main group consisted of 75 patients with mitral, aortal and two-valves prostheses; a control group had 15 patients with rheumatic valve defects without prostheses. It was shown that hemolysis was minimal in patients with a satisfactory function of prostheses. It was higher after double prostheses and especially in patients with dysfunction of the valves. Lactate dehydrogenase is thought to be the most important and reliable test for the assessment of the hemolysis degree.