Nitinol heart valve for children

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and paediatric cardiologists at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA have collaborated to develop new heart valves and stents made of a super-elastic, shape-memory metal alloy called ‘thin film nitinol’.

The collapsible heart valve for children can be loaded into a catheter, inserted into a vein in the groin area, guided into place and then deployed in a precise location within the heart. As the valve is released from the catheter, it springs back to its original shape and begins to function.

Using these means children with congenital heart defects may soon have an alternative to invasive open heart surgery that will mean less time in the hospital, a quicker recovery and no need to break the breastbone.

“What is really novel about the valve UCLA Engineering has created is the memory retaining alloy and butterfly design that opens or hinges from the middle of the valve rather than the edges,” says UCLA mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Gregory Carman, who, along with UCLA researcher Lenka Stepan, crafted the valve. “The unobtrusive leaflets within the valve mean there is no obstruction to blood flow. This smaller, low-profile design is well suited for children and, over time, will potentially allow children born with heart valve defects to experience less pain and live much fuller lives.”