St Jude Medical announced on 16 December 2010 the Canadian launch of its Trifecta aortic stented tissue valve. The first procedures in Canada were performed by Anson Cheung, surgical director of Cardiac Transplantation for Providence Health Care.
The Trifecta valve is a clinically proven replacement valve for patients with diseased, damaged or malfunctioning aortic heart valves. The next-generation tissue valve has a tri-leaflet stented pericardial design, which offers excellent hemodynamic performance.
Commenting on his experience with the Trifecta valve, Cheung said, “I am very excited to see the introduction of the St Jude Medical Trifecta valve in Canada. I have been implanting this valve as part of the investigational device exemption trial and am very happy with its ease of implant and handling. Also, the haemodynamic performance is superb.”
The Trifecta valve is constructed using a polyester and tissue-covered titanium stent, or base, to ensure structural integrity of the valve. Designed to be implanted in the supra-annular aortic position, the valve features leaflets manufactured from pericardial tissue attached to the exterior of the valve stent. This design allows the leaflets to open more fully and efficiently, mimicking the performance of a healthy aortic heart valve, while also mitigating tissue abrasion through tissue-to-tissue (stent-to-leaflet) contact. Additional attributes of the Trifecta valve include proprietary tissue fixation and the St Jude Medical patented Linx AC Technology, an anti-calcification treatment designed to reduce tissue mineralisation, a common complication in previous generations of tissue valves.
“St Jude Medical has developed a next-generation aortic stented tissue valve that is specifically designed for improved hemodynamic performance, durability and implantability,” said Frank J Callaghan, president of the St Jude Medical Cardiovascular Division. “The Trifecta valve has demonstrated outstanding haemodynamic performance, improving the quality of life for patients with diseased aortic heart valves. We look forward to continuing to grow our legacy of market-leading valves with this advanced technology and will continue to put more control in the hands of physicians who treat cardiac patients worldwide.”
The Trifecta valve offers several features that improve the ease of implantation, including the valve’s unique holder, designed to improve visibility and cuff access for suturing, and the valve’s simplified sizing process, offering physicians more control in choosing the appropriate replacement valve for each patient’s heart.
