Main description:

This book offers a historical account of the development of the On-X carbon mechanical heart valve, discussing the steps involved in developing the materials, and describes how the design of the valve has evolved over the years. It explores both the scientific and corporate problems researchers have encountered over the years in the journey of making a mechanical heart valve. The chapters provide a detailed description of the design of the mechanical leaflet-based prosthetic valve, with a particular focus on blood flow characteristics. This book includes an overview of the state-of-the-art in the chemistry and physics of carbon, and compiles the advances in carbon-based technology and its applications in cardiac and thoracic surgery.

This is an ideal book for bioengineers working on the chemistry and physics of carbon, and other professionals involved with cardiac and thoracic surgery.

Contents:

Chapter 1. Timeline of Events/Overview

Chapter 2. Nuclear Foundations

Chapter 3. Origin and Characterization of Medical Carbons

Chapter 4. Gott's Early Experience - A Lesson in Serendipity

Chapter 5. First Carbon Heart Valve Replacement

Chapter 6. First All-Carbon Mitral Valve Replacement

Chapter 7. Monoleaflet Tilting Disc Valves

Chapter 8. First Bileaflet Valve: St Jude Medical Start-up

Chapter 9. General Atomic Medical Products Division

Chapter 10. Carbomedics Gets Acquainted With Intermedics

Chapter 11. Carbomedics Moves to Austin Texas

Chapter 12. The Hemex Venture

Chapter 13. The St Jude Medical Litigation

Chapter 14. Broadening the Horizon

Chapter 15. Two Valves for China

Chapter 16. Negotiating Chinese Joint Venture

Chapter 17.European Company Buys Intermedics

Chapter 18. Medtronic Venture: Carbon Implants

Chapter 19. The Agreement

Chapter 20. Medtronic Clinical Trial

Chapter 21. Medical Carbon Research Institute/On-X Life Technologies

Chapter 22. Valve Design

Chapter 23. Clinical Trials

Chapter 24. Design Validation

Chapter 25. Studies Concurrent With FDA Trials

Chapter 26. Understanding Cardiac Blood Flow

Chapter 27. Investigating the Viability of Bioprostheses

Chapter 28. On-X Valve Implantability

Chapter 29. Selling the On-X Valve

Chapter 30. The Video

Chapter 31. Cryolife Buys On-X Life Technologies

Chapter 32. Mervyn Williams' South African Trial Results

Chapter 33. Summary and Reflections

References

Index