The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the Silzone coated sewing cuff reduces the incidence of prosthetic valve endocarditis. The null and alternative hypotheses of this study are:~Ho: Patients receiving SJM Masters Series valves with Silzone coating will have an equal incidence of PVE when compared to those receiving the conventional cuff.~Ha: Patients receiving SJM Masters Series valves with Silzone coating will have a reduced incidence of PVE when compared to those receiving the conventional cuff.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the Silzone coated sewing cuff reduces the incidence of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE).