Quick Hits: New Prosthetic Heart Valve Grows With Patient

When kids have cardiac abnormalities, they need to have prosthetic heart valves surgically implanted. As they grow, multiple procedures are required to replace the valves with larger versions. A recent Medgadget article reported on a new development that will be much more cost-effective and easier on the patient. Researchers from Harvard and Boston Children’s Hospital have developed an artificial valve that can grow as needed via a minimally invasive transcatheter procedure. The new valves tested successfully in sheep, and clinical trials on humans are expected to take place in the near future.