St Jude Medical reports first human Portico implant

St Jude Medical has reported the first successful human implantation of its new Portico transcatheter aortic heart valve.

The innovative device, which is constructed from bovine pericardial tissue, has been implemented by Dr John Webb, director of cardiac catheterisation and interventional cardiology at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

St Jude has designed the Portico valve to be the first on the market that can be re-sheathed, repositioned or retrieved, increasing physicians' control over placement accuracy during valve deployment.

A European clinical trial of the device is also set to be carried out later this year.

Frank Callaghan, president of the St Jude Medical cardiovascular division, said: "The first human implant of the Portico transcatheter valve is a significant milestone for our transcatheter aortic valve replacement program and was built off of our 30-year legacy in surgical heart valves."

Last month, the company published a data from a study showing how fractional flow reserve interventions using devices such as its PressureWire could help to deliver savings for the NHS.