Two-Part Heart Valve Offers Replacement Strategy

An advanced serviceable bioprosthetic heart valve eliminates many common problems facing cardiac replacement valve patients.

The Vitality Heart Valve System incorporates a two-piece heart valve that allows a surgeon to replace just the leaflet set later in life, without having to completely explant and remove the entire valve, thus resolving conflicts between conventional mechanical and tissue-based prosthetic valves. The two-part valve includes a permanently implanted docking base and a leaflet set which can be easily replaced transapically via a small incision between the ribs, using minimally invasive surgical techniques that are faster and simpler than traditional valve replacement surgeries.


The system uses a set of three exchange tools that work in concert; the valve stabilizer, valve removal tool, and the valve insertion tool nest within each other coaxially so that once one tool is aligned to the stent posts, all others become aligned also. The exchange tools are scalable between open surgical and transapical approaches, and robust enough to extract the leaflet set regardless of the degree of fibrotic overgrowth. The system also offers a simple two-step procedure that provides excellent visibility into the aortic chamber and smaller incisions, and without necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass. The Vitality Heart Valve System is a product of ValveXchange (Denver, CO, USA)

“The Vitality Heart Valve System offers simplicity, security, and unprecedented visibility into the aortic space,” said Ivan Vesely, PhD, founder of ValveXchange. “The hemodynamics of the Vitality valves are excellent, particularly in the smaller valve sizes.”

Related Links:
ValveXchange