Is cutting stress responsible for the limited durability of heart valve bioprostheses?
JM Garcia Paez, A Carrera San Martin, JV Garcia Sestafe, I Millan, E Jorge, I Candela and JL Castillo-Olivares Service of Experimental Surgery, Clinica Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain. The limited durability of the valve bioprostheses made from calf pericardium is partially due to the calcification of this biomaterial and to mechanical fatigue of the tissue. The object of this study is to determine the harmful effect on the pericardial membrane of cutting caused by the suture thread by showing the different elastic behaviors of the biomaterials employed. This cutting stress is established during the process of molding the valve leaflet, creating a vulnerable point from the very moment of construction, which is an important factor in the limited duration of the bioprosthesis.
