Pipeline™ is the reference in flow diversion, with more than 10 years of experience and a very high number of clinical studies. These devices changed the treatment of aneurysms. By diverting flow away from the aneurysm neck and reconstructing the parent artery, they allow the flow to reapir its natural course.

Cardiac Dimensions, a leader in minimally invasive heart failure treatments, has raised $53M in an oversubscribed Series E funding round to advance its minimally invasive Carillon Mitral Contour System for heart failure treatment and expand global commercialisation efforts. Led by Ally Bridge Group, the investment also saw strong participation from existing backers, reinforcing confidence in the company’s innovative Carillon Mitral Contour System.

The manufacture of artificial heart valves is very challenging owing to their stringent functional requirements. The latest advances in 3D printing technologies hold great promise to revolutionise the manufacture of artificial heart valves. Recent 3D printing innovations go far beyond the fabrication of anatomical moulds, and unlock unprecedented opportunities to manufacture exquisite architectures, hierarchical bioprinting of cells, complex multi-material assembly, and the creation of biomimetic structures. This provides new avenues to enhance the functionality of artificial heart valves with respect to hydrodynamics, durability, biocompatibility, and the ability to be implanted via a minimally invasive transcatheter procedure.

Hydrogel-based soft machines are promising in diverse applications, such as biomedical electronics and soft robotics. However, current fabrication techniques generally struggle to construct multimaterial three-dimensional hydrogel architectures for soft machines and robots, owing to the inherent hydrogel softness from the low-density polymer network nature. Herein, we present a multimaterial cryogenic printing (MCP) technique that can fabricate sophisticated soft hydrogel machines with accurate yet complex architectures and robust multimaterial interfaces.

Congenital and acquired valvular heart diseases (VHDs) are significant causes of mortality worldwide. With valve replacement being the primary solution for VHD, current options display shortcomings, including calcification, thrombogenicity, and hemodynamic alteration, leading to repetitive surgeries. Tissue engineering, however, has shown great potential for fabricating heart valves (HVs) with fewer complications. Here, a series of inks are developed, combining poly(vinyl alcohol), gelatin, and carrageenan for 3D printing of tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs). The inks/hydrogels are investigated to characterize their physico-chemical, morphological, mechanical, and rheological characteristics. In vitro and in vivo biocompatibility, immune response, hemolysis, and thrombogenicity of the inks/hydrogels are also evaluated.

Le dispositif a l’avantage de pouvoir bénéficier aux patients présentant des calcifications sur les feuillets de la valve mitrale. « Des patients inéligibles au TEER [réparation transcathéter bord à bord de type Mitraclip, ndr] et pour lesquels il n’y a pas vraiment d’option », a rappelé le Dr Sebastian Ludwig (University Heart & Vascular Center Hamburg, Hambourg, Allemagne), lors d’un échange en fin de présentation.

Capstan Medical today said it has successfully completed its first in-human, robot-assisted transcatheter mitral valve replacements. The Santa Cruz, Calif.-based company claimed that it was “the first time a minimally invasive robotic structural heart platform has been used in clinical practice, successfully delivering a novel mitral valve into two human patients.”

Cor triatriatum dexter (CTD) is an uncommon congenital anomaly consequent to an abnormal separation of the atrium during embryological development, determining the persistence of the fibromuscular membrane dividing the right atrium. Based on the severity of the obstruction determined by the membrane, the clinical signs may be silent or appear as heart failure, with consequent ascites, and if there are other associated congenital cardiac anomalies, they could manifest as cyanosis or sudden death. The aim of the present review is to give a professional perspective, considering the defect from different points of view.

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a technique that can make a biomaterial heart valve in minutes. The method is called “Focused Rotary Jet Spinning,” and the researchers describe it as “a marshmallow machine with a hairdryer at the back.” Basically, this technique uses air spray to direct the polymer fibers to a heart valve-shaped frame. This forms a porous scaffold that allows heart cells to enter and grow. These formed structures also have mechanical properties that serve as unidirectional valves within the heart. These scaffolds contain nanoscale signals that stimulate cell entry and proliferation, with the ultimate goal of gradually replacing biological material scaffolds by cells to achieve heart valve regeneration.

The Valysnc system comprises two highly compliant balloons, made of a flexible deformable material that can expand to fit the surrounding valve anatomy. The system is designed to be delivered transeptally, with an atrial balloon expanded and lowered onto supra-annular plane of the mitral valve. Afterwards a second balloon is secured in the ventricle, held in place by a series of barbs or arms.

Valvosoft is designed to non-invasively restore leaflet mobility in a stenotic aortic valve and widen the valve opening to relieve patient heart failure symptoms. High-intensity focused ultrasound waves micro-fracture calcification embedded in aortic valve leaflets without damaging tissue. The treatment is designed to be repeatable over time, as needed, to manage disease progression.

The company has described this the largest valve size, supplied through the smallest delivery system available on the NHS, offering flexibility, accuracy, and stability in a large TAVI valve platform and is being used at King’s College Hospital in London.

Whether the educational opportunity that is afforded by a live case justifies any potential safety risk to the patient continues to be a source of debate, Allen said, prompting the analysis looking at procedural safety among 115 live cases. Their researched comprised transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and mitral and tricuspid procedures from three high-volume centres over a 14-year period. Researchers compared safety outcomes from the live cases to corresponding clinical trials and real-world daily practice.

Degenerative mitral valve disease is common. Up to a quarter of patients with degenerative mitral valve disease may be asymptomatic despite having severe valve regurgitation. Current guideline indications for intervention in asymptomatic patient are centred on left ventricular dimensions and ejection fraction and may include consideration in atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension and those with left atrial dilatation. However, despite intervention according to these recommendations, patients remain at risk of post-operative heart failure and mortality.

Increasing adoption of non-resection valve repair in Barlow's disease has been observed in recent years. At mid-term follow-up, the clinical and echocardiographic results of MV repair for Barlow's disease were very good with low risk of mitral valve reintervention. At this time point, the results of non-resection techniques were comparable to the “gold standard” resection techniques. Monitoring of the long-term performance of non-resection techniques is warranted before definitive conclusion can be drawn.

The trial will enroll patients with moderate-to-severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are unsuitable for surgery or transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). The trial is designed with two separate non-randomised cohorts, which include moderate/severe mitral annular calcification (MAC), and a primary cohort that will include patients with no or mild MAC.

The trial will enroll patients with moderate-to-severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) who are unsuitable for surgery or transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). The trial is designed with two separate non-randomised cohorts, which include moderate/severe mitral annular calcification (MAC), and a primary cohort that will include patients with no or mild MAC.

In the RESHAPE-HF2 trial (NCT02444338) on which Butler is an investigator, adding mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) to medical therapy for moderate to severe functional mitral regurgitation led to a lower rate of initial or recurrent hospitalizations for heart failure or cardiovascular death and a lower rate of total hospitalizations for heart failure at 24 months.1 Patients also showed better health status at 12 months following transcatheter mitral-valve repair compared with those receiving medical therapy alone.

Elevated RDW has emerged in cardiac surgery as a potential means of preoperative risk stratification with the capacity to predict short- and long-term postoperative mortality, acute kidney injury, and postoperative atrial fibrillation. The question as to whether perioperative hemodynamic instability may be predicted by such a marker remains a topic of ongoing debate. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between preoperative RDW and prolonged postoperative catecholamine use in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

Opinions about the relative value of interventions to control mitral regurgitation secondary to heart failure might be altered by two large randomized trials. The RESHAPE-HF2 trial showed that mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) has an advantage over guideline-recommended medical therapy alone, and the MATTERHORN trial showed M-TEER to be noninferior to surgery.