Heart valve technology: new device is minimally invasive and more precise
Patients at high risk for open-heart surgery could benefit from a new version of a transcatheter aortic valve implantation system (TAVI), termed the Navitor Vision valve, which was developed by Abbott (Maidenhead, UK).
The new heart valve technology aims to treat individuals with severe aortic stenosis who are often at high risk for open-heart surgery. The device could enable surgeons to better visualize precisely where and how deep they are implanting the device resulting in patients having reduced symptoms and a better quality of life.
TAVI treats aortic stenosis, the narrowing of the aortic valve, which reduces blood flow around the body. Without the valve implantation, it can lead to heart failure and other lethal heart conditions.
TAVI puts less pressure on the body than open-heart surgery. Instead of creating a large incision in the chest and stopping the heart, TAVI uses a catheter to move the replacement valve into the heart. The catheter is inserted via a blood vessel in the leg.
Read about an embolic protection device that could reduce the risk of a stroke during transcatheter aortic replacement surgery.
The Navitor Vision valve is the largest valve delivered through the smallest catheter that is currently available on the NHS. The valve ranges in size, from 19−30mm, and synchronizes to an individual’s cardiac cycle.
Matt Scrivener, Abbott’s Country Manager for Structural Heart, UK and Ireland, commented: “The Navitor Vision valve can help to reduce symptoms and improve the lives of patients with aortic stenosis, through higher levels of precision and visibility during deployment.”
“For patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme surgical risk, due to the potential complications stemming from age, frailty, or comorbidities, it’s great to now be able to offer their doctors across the UK and Ireland an option which offers stable delivery, remarkable performance, and is built for the future.”
