Current Technologies on the Market
Melody by Medtronic
Contegra by Medtronic
The most advanced stents and replacement valves on the market are either non-expandable or barely expandable (less than a 4 mm expansion in diameter) so patients still require multiple follow-up operations.
Over time, stents begin to wear down from continuous mechanical cycling and prolonged submersion in fluid. Eventually a fatigue crack forms and grows until the component fractures, or the stent is deformed by compression forces. As shown, attempts to re-expand the stent have not been successful, as structural integrity has already been lost.
Market Outlook for Replacement Heart Valves
