Tria heart valve shows potential of polymer in heart surgery

News

In a world first, a US patient has successfully received an aortic heart valve made of a polymer jointly developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and medical device company Foldax.

The Tria heart valve uses a proprietary CSIRO polymer to create a valve capable of lasting decades without calcification, risk of clotting, or damage to red blood cells.

Doctors at the Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, in Michigan, implanted the flexible polymer heart valve into 68 year-old Bob Murley, who is said to be recovering well following the operation in July.

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According to CSIRO, aortic valve disease is a congenital or age-related condition where the valve between the main pumping chamber of the heart and the body’s main artery stops functioning properly. The World Health Organisation estimates that heart valve disease affects around 30 million people in the general population of industrialised countries.

CSIRO project leader, Dr Thilak Gunatillake, said the Tria heart valve combines a patented design with LifePolymer, CSIRO’s biopolymer material.

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