No modern studies have addressed the impact of cardiac surgery on military duty status, which is associated with constraints not applicable to the general population. A review of all active duty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), mitral valve repair (MVrep), bioprosthetic valve replacement (BIOVALVE), mechanical valve replacement (MECHVALVE), and septal defect closure (ASD/VSD) at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2011 was used to determine final duty status: Return to Full Duty (RTFD), Medical Board Separation or Planned Retirement/Separation. Complete data on final disposition was available for 99% (75/76) of patients. There were 9 Planned Retirement/Separation patients. There was a 100% rate of RTFD for all MVrep, BIOVALVE, and ASD/VSD patients. Patients undergoing CABG had an 83% (20/23) rate of RTFD. MECHVALVE patients had RTFD in only 23% (5/21) of cases. Patients undergoing MECHVALVE are unlikely to be suitable for continued service after surgery, but most if not all military patients undergoing MVrep, ASD/VSD, or BIOVALVE and the vast majority of CABG patients can expect to return to unrestricted active duty after surgery.
Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.