St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Physician First in Texas to Implant New Trifecta Valve
A St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital physician is the first in Texas to implant the Trifecta™ aortic stented tissue valve, a clinically-proven replacement for diseased, damaged or malfunctioning aortic heart valves. The Trifecta valve was developed by St. Jude Medical and is designed to mimic the flow of a natural, healthy heart.
Joseph S. Coselli, M.D., chief of adult cardiac surgery for Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, implanted Martha Doumite, 73, from Kinder, La., with the valve, which was designed for excellent hemodynamic performance (the optimization of blood flow through the valve) and long-term durability, two significant factors that assist in determining the performance of a tissue heart valve.
“The Trifecta valve has a superior ease of implantation. Its strong suit is that for any given size tissue valve it has superior hemodynamics. This goes a long way to prevent patient prosthetic mismatch,” said Dr. Coselli.
To ensure the structural integrity of the valve, the Trifecta valve is constructed using a polyester and tissue-covered titanium stent, or base. 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 and limiting tissue abrasion through tissue-to-tissue (stent-to-leaflet) contact. Also contributing to the valve’s durability, the Trifecta valve offers the St. Jude Medical patented Linx™ AC Technology, an anticalcification treatment designed to reduce tissue mineralization (hardening), one of the primary causes of valve deterioration.
The Trifecta valve offers several features that improve ease of implantation, including the valve’s unique holder, designed to improve visibility and cuff access for suturing, and customized sizer, offering physicians more control in choosing the appropriate replacement valve for each patient’s heart.
“Physicians around the world have already voiced tremendous excitement and satisfaction with the Trifecta valve,” said Frank J. Callaghan, president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiovascular Division. “We look forward to continue the advancement of valve solutions for physicians and patients around the world.”
Each year, approximately 90,000 patients in the U.S. undergo open-heart surgery to replace their diseased, damaged heart valves.
