BACKGROUND To date, the surgical approach is the only option to replace the aortic valve. Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement has recently opened new perspectives on transcatheter replacement of cardiac valves. We report our experience of aortic valve replacement through a percutaneous technique in lambs. METHODS AND RESULTS A bovine jugular vein containing a valve was dissected and sutu...

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) with a proximal valve have any advantage compared to those with a distal valve in regard to the incidence of occlusion, infection, or malfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients (mean age, 46 y) were randomized to receive either a distal-valved Bard Groshong catheter (n = 48) or a proximal-valved Catheter ...

Here we report the early clinical results of a new preassembled stentless valved-conduit incorporating artificial sinuses of Valsalva (BioValsalva). This new composite conduit incorporates a stentless porcine aortic valve (Elan, Vascutek Terumo, UK) suspended within a triple-layered vascular conduit (Triplex, Vascutek Terumo, UK) constructed with sinuses of Valsalva. Between December 2006 and J...

Right ventricle (RV)-pulmonary artery (PA) valved conduit (RPVC) implantation decreases RV systolic pressure in pulmonic stenosis (PS) by forming a bypass route between the RV and the PA. The present study evaluates valved conduits derived from canine aortae in a canine model of PS produced by pulmonary artery banding (PAB). Pulmonary stenosis was elicited using PAB in 10 conditioned beagles ag...

Purpose To report a rare complication of non-valved glaucoma drainage device surgery. Observations An 85-year-old pseudophakic white male presented with painless vision loss and bloody tears. He was 5 weeks removed from uncomplicated non-valved glaucoma drainage device (Baerveldt 101-350, [AMO, Santa Clara, CA]). There was serosanguinous discharge without apparent source and a 25% layering hy...

Objective: To study early results of hand made fresh (autologous/homologous) pericardial valved conduit in achieving right ventricle to pulmonary artery continuity. Method: Between November 2014 and September 2015, 19 cases, with diagnosis of Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary stenosis (PS) or Pulmonary atresia (PA) underwent intracardiac repair and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract (RVOT) recons...

PURPOSES We investigated whether circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can be used as a cell source for the creation of a tissue-engineered heart valve (TEHV). METHODS Trileaflet valved conduits were fabricated using nonwoven polyglycolic acid/poly-4-hydroxybutyrate polymer. Ovine peripheral blood EPCs were dynamically seeded onto a valved conduit and incubated for 7, 14, and 21 day...

A major issue in congenital heart surgery is the lack of viable right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) replacement materials. Several biomaterials have been used, with different scaffolds and cells, but they have failed to restore a tri-layered RVOT, and reoperations are often required. We investigated the function, histological changes and potential of growth and tissue regeneration of polydio...

BACKGROUND Biologic valved grafts are important in cardiac surgery, and although several types of graft are currently available, most commercial xenografts tend to cause early disfiguration due to intimal proliferation and calcification. We studied the graft failure patterns on non-fixed and glutaraldehyde-fixed pulmonary xenograft in vivo animal experiment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pulmonary va...