Shanghai, China - 10 May 2021 - CardioFlow Medtech, a subsidiary of MicroPort Medical, recently hosted a VitaFlow® serial seminar online. Initiated by Prof. Jianfang Luo from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the seminar focused on the clinical application and operation standards of CardioFlow Medtech's independently developed VitaFlow® transcatheter aortic valve system (VitaFlow® valve). The seminar provided a platform for valve specialists from Guangdong Province, as well as the rest of South China, to exchange experiences with the VitaFlow® valve system in clinical applications.
During the session, Dr. Bo Wang from Prof. Fei Li's team at Xijing Hospital presented an extremely rare case of emergency TAVR surgery for aortic regurgitation, which was of great value in terms of clinical guidance. The patient, who had suddenly lost consciousness for 2 hours after suffering from a 10-day exacerbation of 4-month-long chest tightness and shortness of breath, was admitted to hospital with an initial diagnosis of infective endocarditis combined with acute aortic regurgitation. The surgical evaluation indicated that the risk was too high for the patient to have an operation. Dr. Bo Wang proposed to use emergency TAVR technique to first stabilize the valve hemodynamics, followed by ECMO to maintain blood circulation, with the aim being that such interventions could first stabilize the patient’s conditions so that he could recover well enough for SAVR intervention at a later time.
Dr. Bo Wang recalled, "When the patient was placed on the operating table, his whole circulatory system was near collapse, and his blood pressure was very low, this means that our operation needed to be executed to the highest standard.” Through close cooperation between members in the surgical team, the patient was successfully implanted with a 27mm VitaFlow® valve, and all his indicators returned to normal after the operation.
As part of the seminar, Prof. Guangyuan Song from Beijing Anzhen Hospital gave a detailed presentation on his experience using VitaFlow® valves in clinical practice from three aspects: product features, surgical strategy, and key points of operation. In addition, Professor Yongjian Wu of Fuwai Hospital was of the view that the VitaFlow® valve’s design has improved in response to observed pathological structural challenges. The support force of the valve in combination with the outer skirt minimizes the extensive displacement during release, leaving sufficient space for balloon dilation post valve release. Its valve frame structure also allows opportunities of coronary stent implantation and revascularization in the future.
According to Professor Yongjian Wu, with proven benefits of VitaFlow® valve's skirt design and motorized delivery system in clinic applications, the product has entered hundreds of hospitals across China since its launch in July 2019. At present, with the joint efforts of Professor Jianfang Luo and a large number of hospitals in Guangdong Province, the level of valve disease diagnosis and treatment in the province is quite advanced in the country, and a number of pioneering experts in valve disease diagnosis and treatment have emerged in the region.
Through case sharing and presentations, this seminar provided a deeper understanding of the use and benefits of this product amongst valve specialists, whilst also providing an opportunity for them to work together to improve TAVR technology for better patient outcomes. In the future, CardioFlow Medtech will continue to organize informative academic exchange activities of various forms in the field of valve disease to better share academic knowledge and clinical experience amongst professionals, and to provide patients and doctors with high-quality accessible treatment solutions.
About CardioFlow Medtech Corporation
Founded in 2015, Cardioflow Medtech (stock code: 02160), a subsidiary of MicroPort Scientific Corporation (stock code: 00853), focuses on the research, development and commercialization of innovative transcatheter and surgical solutions for valvular heart diseases. In light of today’s enormous, rapidly growing yet severely under-penetrated heart valve medical device market, Cardioflow Medtech has seized this opportunity to strategically focus its product portfolio on the treatment of the most common aortic and mitral valve diseases, including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.
About VitaFlow® transcatheter aortic valve system
The VitaFlow® aortic valve is the first self-expanding bovine pericardial biologic valve approved for marketing in China. Its innovative two-layer "skirt" design allows for a more effective reduction in postoperative perivalvular leakage. The mixed-density mesh of the Ni-Ti stent allows the valve to effectively prop up the calcified leaflet with excellent coaxial and positioning properties during release, and the big apertures leave space for coronary intervention. The large mesh design allows space for coronary interventions. The product uses a motorized delivery system to facilitate the operator's control of the guidewire during valve release, and the flexible and strong tubing design reduces the incidence of vascular complications, while ensuring a stable and accurate release. When paired with CardioFlow Medtech’s independently developed Alwide® valve balloon dilation catheter and Alpass® catheter sheath, surgeons are provided with a complete surgical solution to improve operation safety and effectiveness.