A Waterloo Engineering research team has contributed to an international collaboration that reduces the risk of patient complications from heart valve implants.
Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, led the Waterloo team in collaboration with researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Their shared research proves that a heart valve implant with a textured surface is less likely to lead to the formation of blood clots — or thrombosis.
“The implantation of a prosthetic heart valve is a life-saving procedure, but due to some medical conditions in patients who receive the valves they experience blood clotting, which can be very dangerous,” said Mitra.
Blood clots in the heart can lead to life-threatening events such as stroke or heart attack. Patients with heart valve implants undergo lifelong therapy to avoid thrombosis. The researchers’ new findings are expected to improve health outcomes for many patients. Certain conditions such as cancer, pregnancy, being over the age of 55, smoking, obesity and immobility all elevate the risk of blood clots after the procedure.
“Patients won’t need to have replacement valves as often thanks to this research," Mitra said. "They will have a better quality of life post-surgery, and it will extend the length of time required between procedures.”
Go to Reducing risk of blood clots after heart surgery for the full story.