Transcatheter Technologies has announced the successful first-in-human implantation of its transapical TRINITY aortic valve designed to be the world’s best repositionable heart valve.
“A major limitation of existing transcatheter aortic heart valves is that they cannot be repositioned once implanted. Trinity, however, is designed to solve this difficult problem,” said Wolfgang Goetz, MD PhD CEO, a cardiac surgeon by training. “With Trinity, once our valve is initially placed, a cardiologist can fully evaluate the valve’s function to determine whether it needs to be repositioned, retrieved, or kept in the same position. Equally important, Trinity provides for a controlled positioning by allowing a cardiologist to slowly open the valve stent, thus improving the likelihood of a first-attempt correct placement.”
“The TRINITY aortic valve can be positioned precisely. Yet, it also allows for safe repositioning of the valve prosthesis — or even full retrieval—if necessary. Its unique sealing cuff provides excellent results without paravalvular leakage. Moreover, the risk for atrio-ventricular block is dramatically reduced due to the supra-annular positioning of TRINITY,” added Prof. Christian Hengstenberg, cardiologist at the German Heart Center in Munich.
The results of the first-in-human clinical trial using Trinity will be presented at the annual TCT Meeting in San Francisco on Monday, October 28, 2013.
About Transcatheter Technologies GmbH
Transcatheter Technologies GmbH is a privately held medical device company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Regensburg, Germany. The TRINITY aortic valve prosthesis is comprised of a bovine pericardium valve with porcine pericardium-sealing cuff that is mounted on a self-expanding Nitinol frame. The TRINITY aortic valve prosthesis is pre-mounted on a detachable catheter tip. TRINITY’s unique features enable controlled positioning and true repositioning without foreshortening. The valve prosthesis is protected during folding of the stent. This Zero Pressure Crimping™ is expected to improve valve durability and broaden the application of transcatheter valve implantations across a larger patient population.
