Treatment of aortic stenosis through surgical replacement has been one of the most successful advances in cardiovascular medicine (1), though use in certain patient populations, specifically in the elderly, has been associated with increased mortality rates (2). A growing alternative surgery is Aortic Valve Bypass (AVB). This therapy offers decreased surgical risk because it does not require cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic crossclamping, aortotomy, or cardioplegic cardiac arrest (3). A one-way conduit between the apex of the left ventricle and the descending aorta increases flow by reducing afterload (Fig. 1, LEFT). Systolic blood from the left ventricle is ejected via both the native stenotic aortic valve and the AVB circuit. In this feasibility study, an apical cannula was developed and tested.
Treatment of severe aortic stenosis : experimental design, testing, and analysis of an aortic valve bypass apical cannula.