• Question: I had a faulty valve and I had to had to have an artificial one. How would the technology you are using by different/ more advanced to the current one?

    Asked by Lucrezia to Monica on 7 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Monica Rozeik

      Monica Rozeik answered on 7 Mar 2016:

      Hi Lucrezia, that’s really interesting. You must know quite a bit about heart valves then. There are two main types of current valves; bio-prosthetic ones usually taken from an animal or a mechanical valve made from pyrolytic carbon. They both need open heart surgery. My guess is you have one of those types?

      There’s a new technology called TAVI which stands for “transcatheter aortic valve implantation”. It lets people have an artificial heart valve without needing open heart surgery because the new valve travels through the blood vessels instead to get to the heart. It used to be only available for old people who were too frail for surgery but younger people can soon have it too. I am interested in those types of valves and working to develop one like them. I’m also researching children’s valves to find one which can last a long time as child grows.

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