Edwards Lifesciences has released the new mitral valve repair therapy designed to treat the leaky mitral valve of patients suffering from congestive heart failure. The Edwards GeoForm annuloplasty ring, which features a unique, three-dimensional shape, has been shown to successfully treat mitral valve regurgitation caused by cardiomyopathy, and improve the function of the left ventricle. In a presentation at the annual meeting of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery (EACTS), entitled, "GeoForm: A New Valvular Solution for a Ventricular Problem," professor Steven F Bolling, Professor of surgery and director of the University of Michigan Health System's Mitral Valve Clinic, presented results from a prospective study of 16 congestive heart failure patients, all of whom were suffering from mitral valve regurgitation due to distortion of their heart's left ventricle. Six months after the patients' mitral valves were surgically repaired with the Edwards GeoForm annuloplasty ring, their mitral valve regurgitation, or backflow of blood caused by a leaking valve, was eliminated and the left ventricle was reformed. Edwards Lifesciences developed the GeoForm ring with Professor Ottavio M Alfieriof St. Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy and Bolling.
"While still early, these results clearly demonstrate excellent outcomes for patients suffering from severe mitral valve regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction," said Bolling. "We believe this heart valve repair ring will help break the cycle of mitral valve regurgitation and left ventricular distortion that can be caused by certain forms of congestive heart failure."
"The Edwards GeoForm repair ring creates a unique option for surgeons treating patients with mitral valve regurgitation," said Patrick Verguet, Edwards' corporate vice president, Europe. "Edwards Lifesciences invests more resources than any other company in heart valve therapy research and development, and it is especially rewarding when our collaboration with the global clinical community produces such positive results as the GeoForm ring. We believe this new ring is an important addition to our extensive portfolio of disease-specific heart valve repair therapies, and will further extend our leadership in the field."
"The data validate what we've believed all along: a large untreated population of heart valve patients could be helped by undergoing earlier heart valve repair," said Anita B Bessler, Edwards' corporate vice president of Global Franchise Management. "This is why we remain so committed to pioneering innovative heart valve therapies designed to specifically treat the large number of unaddressed patients."
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