Maiden Tria heart valve implant

Doctors at the Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, in Michigan have successfully implanted an aortic heart valve made of a polymer jointly developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and medical device company Foldax, into a live patient who is now recovering well. This maiden accomplishment used a tria heart valve, which are robotically manufactured at volume, providing the highest level of quality and precision, and the design also allows for patient customisation further down the line. The valve uses a proprietary CSIRO polymer to create a valve that can last for many years without calcification, risk of clotting, or damage to red blood cells.
Executive chairman at Foldax, Ken Charhut, said: “Tria heart valves are revolutionising the industry as the first and only biopolymer heart valve platform using LifePolymer material, eliminating the use of animal tissue. What makes this so different from other heart valves is that we were able to design the valve to mimic the native valve.”
CSIRO project leader, Dr Thilak Gunatillake, said: “This is a true example of Aussie innovation going global, with our team in Melbourne designing, developing and scaling-up the new polymer. Foldax now manufactures the Tria heart valve for patients around the world in Salt Lake City, Utah.”