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Designed to grow: New pediatric heart valve could spare children lifetime of surgeries
ExpandValve uses an expandable metal scaffold that can grow from 10–12 mm to 24 mm, potentially reducing repeated surgeries for 40,000 infants with congenital valve defects annually, NIH-funded.
- The MUSC and Clemson bioengineering teams developed a novel pediatric heart valve concept that can grow from 10 to 24 millimeters through staged balloon dilations, researchers say.
- A newborn's heart grows roughly 15 times by adulthood, and newborns with congenital valve defects face repeated surgeries, increasing risks and hardship for families of affected infants.
- Funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Emerson Rose Heart Foundation enabled prototype development, while engineers tested valves in physiologic bioreactors and clinical guidance from Minoo N. Kavarana, M.D. shifted design toward growth-capable devices.
- Kavarana said if proof-of-concept testing in living hearts succeeds, clinical trials could begin, potentially reducing trauma from repeated surgeries for families of pediatric patients.
- The concept originated from asking whether an early implant could expand as a child grows, as designers must accommodate blood pressures and flow dynamics across childhood for long-term valve function.
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The Courier-Tribune+71 Reposted by 71 other sources
Designed to grow: New pediatric heart valve could spare children lifetime of surgeries
(BPT) - A newborn's heart will grow roughly 15 times larger in volume by the time adulthood is reached — a remarkable transformation that presents an extraordinary challenge for pediatric heart surgeons treating congenital defects such as aortic and pulmonary…
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Total News Sources72
Leaning Left7Leaning Right5Center32Last UpdatedBias Distribution73% Center
Bias Distribution
- 73% of the sources are Center
73% Center
L 16%
C 73%
11%
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