title: The sheep as an animal model for heart valve research.
abstract: The first test used to assess new heart valve prostheses and devices is to implant them in a medium-sized animal. This is a costly piece of research and it is important to select the most appropriate animal. The authors feel that the sheep is an appropriate animal model for heart valve research and describe their experience in this area. It is hoped that the detailed description provided will be useful to any other group contemplating similar studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bjornstad
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Duran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002423:Cause of Death; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*