St Jude Medical receives CE Mark approval for new Portico TAVR Valves

St Jude Medical has announced that its new 27 mm and 29 mm Portico transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) systems have received European CE Mark approval.

This will broaden patient access to the Portico system, a TAVR valve that provides excellent patient outcomes and the opportunity to optimise device placement, and follows the prior approval of the 23 mm and 25 mm Portico valves.

During a transfemoral implant procedure, the Portico valve is delivered by catheter through the femoral artery in the leg and positioned while the heart continues to beat. This alleviates the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, which can cause physical strain.

The system improves control, ease of use and accuracy over other commercially-available TAVR valves, and has also demonstrated low rates of permanent pacemaker utilisations post-valve implant.

Dr Eric Fain, group president at St Jude Medical, said: "Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a complex procedure, and feedback from physicians worldwide has continued to press upon us the fact that offering a system that provides physicians more control and a simplified procedure is important."