Edwards Lifesciences has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of the Edwards Sapien 3 transcatheter valve with the Alterra adaptive prestent—Sapien 3 with Alterra—for patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation.
The Edwards Sapien 3 transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) system combines the proven Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valve and the Alterra adaptive prestent to expand transcatheter therapy options for congenital heart valve disease patients, Edwards said in a press release. The Alterra prestent compensates for variations in size and morphology of the right ventricular outflow tract to provide a stable landing zone for the Sapien 3 valve.
“The FDA approval of the Sapien 3 with Alterra is great news for patients around the world, many of whom have endured numerous surgical procedures to treat their congenital heart disease,” said Evan Zahn, director of Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program at the Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, USA), and principal investigator for the ALTERRA clinical trial. “The outstanding outcomes achieved by Sapien 3 with Alterra will expand the range of patients who require pulmonary valve replacement that we can now treat with minimally invasive therapy. This will result in significant improvements in quality of life and a reduction in the number of surgeries and procedures that a congenital heart patient requires over the course of their lifetime.”
While pulmonic heart valve replacements represent a small fraction of the heart valve replacements done each year, it is generally required to replace valves in adolescent and adult patients suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot or other congenital heart valve defects.
“I am very proud of this advancement, which exemplifies the important work of our team at Edwards to develop life-saving innovations addressing urgent needs of this important patient group,” said Larry Wood, corporate vice president, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Edwards Lifesciences. “Many of these patients endure repeated open-heart surgeries to address heart conditions present since birth, which takes a huge toll on their ability to lead normal lives. The Sapien 3 with Alterra provides a new treatment option that can reduce the number of invasive procedures these patients face in their lifetimes.”
The Edwards Sapien 3 TPV system with Alterra adaptive prestent is indicated for use in the management of paediatric and adult patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation as measured by echocardiography, who have a native or surgically repaired right ventricular outflow tract and are clinically indicated for surgical pulmonary valve replacement.
