Objective      To study the rule of surgical treatment for rheumatic heart disease in the postoperative stage of valve replacement.       Methods      Twenty-eight cases

suffered from rheumatic heart disease

were randomly divided into two groups

group A and B. In group A

14 cases were given 20-100 ng·kg

-1

·min

-1

of prostaglandin E

1

(PGE

1

) after the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was stopped

and its velocity (dosage) was increased by 20 ng·kg

-1

·min

-1

every 10 minutes. When up to 100 ng·kg

-1

·min

-1

the velocity was held on for 10 minutes

then seized. PGE

1

was swapped when it was used for 1 h. Twenty-four hours later

7 cases of group A (A1) were given PGE

1

once more as the same as the day before; the other 7 cases (A2) were given normal saline instead as for controls. In group B

no cases were given PGE

1

during operation or on the day of operation. Twenty-four hours later

7 cases (B1) were given PGE

1

as that of A1

and the other 7 cases (B2) as that in group A2. In the hour of PGE

1

injection

the blood pressure (SABP

DABP

MABP)

pulmonary pressure (SPAP

DPAP

MPAP

PAWP)

systemic vascular resistance (SVR)

and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were measured via Swan-Ganz catheter.       Results      There was not significant difference of parameters mentioned above between group A and group B. Twenty-four hours after operation

MPAP

PAWP and PVR in group C (A1+B1) were much lower than those in group D (A2+B2).       Conclusion      The effect of PGE

1

on pressure of pulmonary artery could not be seen when the patients were in anesthesia

so during mitral replacement operation it might be of some resistance.