Author Spotlight: Advancing Cardiac Procedure Testing Prior to Embarking on Large Animal Studies

Limited options exist for testing new cardiac procedures and investigative medical devices before use in a large animal model. Our protocol provides the opportunity to fine-tune such procedures and devices in a biologically and anatomically relevant context prior to embarking on large animal studies. Other techniques for mounting an aortic valve on a pulse duplicator require inserting or fixing a rigid structure to the aortic valve annulus, thus distorting the valve's hydrodynamic properties.

Our protocol offers an innovative way to cannulate the LVOT so that all measured hydrodynamic properties are valid. This method is designed to assess the viability of leaflet substitution materials for use as a valve repair patch or prosthesis. It is a pivotal tool for our future research in which we are developing biomimetic polymeric materials for use as durable valve substitutives with native tissue, like mechanical and hydrodynamic properties.