Edwards Lifesciences Completes First Human Implants With Mitral Transcatheter Valve System

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW) completed the first three human implants of its FORTIS mitral transcatheter heart valve, performed in February and March by the Heart Team at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.

As quoted in the press release:

“These first patients had severe mitral valve disease and many risk factors that prevented them from undergoing surgery. After careful evaluation and close consultation with the patients and their families, we determined that this therapy could potentially extend and improve their lives. At this early stage, we are very pleased with the initial recoveries of these patients,” said Vinayak “Vinnie” Bapat, FRCS CTh, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. “We’re very proud to play a role in advancing the investigation of this developing therapy, which has the potential to fulfill an unmet need among many patients.” Bapat and the hospital’s Heart Team — also led by Martyn Thomas, MD, FRCP, clinical director of cardiovascular services, and Jane Hancock, MD, PhD, MRCP, consultant cardiologist specializing in imaging — are experienced in less invasive valve procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Edwards Lifesciences Chairman and CEO, Michael A. Mussallem, said:

We believe mitral valve disease is undertreated worldwide, and there is a particular need among patients who are too high risk to benefit from traditional surgical options,” We’d like to thank the Heart Team at St. Thomas’ Hospital for their dedication to providing outstanding patient care to these patients who faced dismal prognoses and otherwise would have gone untreated. This early experience provides a very important opportunity for learning in this challenging anatomy. Although durable success will not be known without significantly more experience and longer term follow up, we are excited about this potential opportunity that we believe may be very meaningful for patients.

Click here to read the Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW) press release