一種整合了組織工程心臟瓣膜的新治療方法，顯著降低了瓣膜小葉鈣化的發(fā)生，這種鈣化是組織瓣膜退化的主要原因。

這種治療方法叫做ThermaFix（熱固定），是由生化學(xué)家Sophie Carpentier博士與她的丈夫Alain Carpentier教授共同研制開(kāi)發(fā)的。Alain Carpentier教授是法國(guó)巴黎的歐洲喬治斯蓬皮杜醫(yī)院心臟血管外科主任。ThermaFix治療方法現(xiàn)在廣泛用于所有的Perimount Magna心臟瓣膜置換手術(shù)中，這種瓣膜是Edwards生命科學(xué)公司(Irvine, CA, USA)的產(chǎn)品。

Perimount Magna瓣膜是一種由牛心包膜制造的主動(dòng)脈置換組織工程心臟瓣膜，專門(mén)設(shè)計(jì)用于是血流保持最佳狀態(tài)。該瓣膜可以容易地放置在患者原來(lái)地瓣膜開(kāi)口處，使得外科醫(yī)生能夠植入比其它傳統(tǒng)組織工程瓣膜更大地瓣膜。外科醫(yī)生通常更加喜歡使用能夠保持患者血流狀態(tài)處于最佳狀態(tài)地瓣膜，而根據(jù)2004年9月份《循環(huán)》期刊的報(bào)道，Perimount瓣膜閥門(mén)能夠提供更大的瓣膜開(kāi)放面積從而使得血流容易通過(guò)。

美國(guó)俄勒岡州普羅維登斯心臟與血管研究院醫(yī)學(xué)主任Albert Starr醫(yī)生指出：“盡管數(shù)十年來(lái)已經(jīng)證實(shí)心包瓣膜十分可靠，但是從它誕生開(kāi)始，如何減輕組織工程瓣膜小葉鈣化一直是研究和開(kāi)發(fā)的核心問(wèn)題。通過(guò)聯(lián)合使用改進(jìn)血流動(dòng)力學(xué)特性的Perimount Magna瓣膜以及使用ThermaFix熱固定方法，Edwards公司給患者提供了科技目前所能達(dá)到的最好工藝，從而提高了患者的信心。”
 
Heart Valve Incorporates Tissue Treatment
 
A new treatment process incorporated into tissue heart valves significantly reduces leaflet calcification, one of the primary causes of tissue valve deterioration.

The process, called ThermaFix, was co-developed by biochemist Sophie Carpentier, Ph.D., and her husband, Prof. Alain Carpentier, chairman of the department of cardiovascular surgery at the Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou in Paris (France). The ThermaFix process is now available on all the Perimount Magna replacement tissue heart valves of Edwards Life Sciences (Irvine, CA, USA).

The Perimount Magna valve, an aortic replacement tissue heart valve constructed of bovine pericardium, is designed specifically to optimize blood flow. It facilitates placement above the patient’s native valve opening, which may allow surgeons to implant a valve that is larger than other conventional tissue valves. Surgeons generally prefer valves that can provide optimal blood flow for their patients, and the Perimount valve line has been shown to provide greater valve opening areas to facilitate blood flow, according to an article in the September 2004 issue of Circulation.

“Although pericardial valves have demonstrated decades of reliable performance, mitigating the calcification of a tissue valve’s leaflets has been a focus of research and development since their introduction,” noted Albert Starr, M.D., medical director of the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute (Oregon). “By coupling the Perimount Magna valve’s improved hemodynamic performance with the ThermaFix process, Edwards is providing patients with the confidence that they are getting the best technology there is to offer.”