Conduit-mounted cardiac valve prostheses: a review of their uses, design and in vivo performance.
Although providing an historical overview of the development and clinical applications of conduit-mounted prosthetic heart valves, with elementary explanations of operative techniques, this review concentrates on the impact of design and surgical considerations on their in vivo performance. Areas showing potential for design improvement of mechanical prostheses are highlighted, both in terms of haemodynamic efficiency and haemocompatibility. Comparisons are drawn throughout the paper with conventional valve prostheses, and the key features where they differ significantly are pointed out. It is concluded that there is considerable scope for further worthwhile development.
Gentle
C R
CR
Nottingham Trent University, UK.
Leefe
S E
SE
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000266:history / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure
D001672:Biocompatible Materials