Polymer trileaflet heart valves have been under investigation since the 1960's but their success has not been realized because of failure due to calcification, thrombogenicity, tensile stresses, and overall lack of durability. The purpose of this research was to assess Quatromer , a proprietary triblock co-polymer, for use in a trileaflet heart valve. Two specific aims were covered in this research endeavor: 1) Hydrodynamic assessment of a composite Quatromer valve and 2) Assessment of the thrombogenic potential of the QuatromerTM material by means of platelet deposition. Hydrodynamic tests proved that the QuatromerTM valve had equivalent performance when compared with two commercially available mechanical and bioprosthetic valves, while biocompatibility testing showed that the material's resistance to platelet aggravation was equivalent to that of polyurethane, the leading choice of polymer for trileaflet heart valves. In conclusion, the QuatromerTM trileaflet valve has been shown to have a promising design that warrants further investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fiu.edu/oai:digitalcommons.fiu.edu:etd-4679 |
| Date | 01 January 2004 |
| Creators | Gallocher, Siobhain Lynn |
| Publisher | FIU Digital Commons |
| Source Sets | Florida International University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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