Corazon's New Demineralizing Technology

[Jack]

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2004--Corazon Technologies Inc., developer of an innovative method for removing calcium from aortic valves, reported results from its initial human clinical trials. These data will be presented Thursday September 29th at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting in Washington, D.C. Patients treated with the company's stopped-heart system benefited from improved aortic valve function with structural preservation. This improvement was tracked throughout the 6-month follow-up period. The study concluded that in-situ demineralization may be a safe and effective repair method for calcified, stenotic aortic valves. Larger studies are planned in order to determine the safety and effectiveness of the device.

The Corazon technology is anticipated to facilitate aortic valve replacement and improve outcomes, including implant durability. In addition, both applications are being incorporated into a beating heart platform. It is believed this beating heart platform will allow clinicians to perform valve repairs or enable valve replacements either percutaneously or surgically. The beating heart system is planned for clinical evaluation during the first half of 2005.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20040924005026&newsLang=en

http://www.corazon-inc.com/press_20040924.pdf

 

[tobagotwo]

Neat stuff!

I wonder if it works on Mitral valves, too. A successful repair trumps a replacement whenever possible. I suppose it's too late to ask for my old arotic valve back by now...

Thanks for this, Jack. Every time I read something like this I get more hopeful.

Best wishes

 

[Jurassic Cowboy]

mineralogy of "calcium" deposits on heart valves

mineralogy of "calcium" deposits on heart valves

Jack and others:

See my post of this date on "Mechanical or tissue aortic valve?" regarding the actual mineralogy of "calcium" deposits on heart valves. I probably should have put it on your thread, but put it on mine just out of habit. I don't really know much about mineralogy, especially mineralogy of valve deposits. But I'd be interested in knowing how they can disolve apatite without doing damage to the heart itself!

Cheers, J. Cowboy

 

[Phyllis]

Thanks Jack,
The future is bright and some day, things will be a lot easier for everyone- newbies and re-dos.

 

[tobagotwo]

Hmm... A vinegar flush, maybe?

I kept rolling it over in my mind before the surgery, trying to figure out how to melt that calcium without melting myself. Scale-removal products like Calcium Buster and CLR came to mind, or even that stuff you're supposed to put in your humidifier water, but no nonlethal delivery methods presented themselves. Especially when you consider that the products themselves are all highly toxic...

This whole concept is so cool, if it works.

Best wishes,

 

[Jack]

This information may provide some additional information of the demineralizing lavage (flushing solution) system.

The Corazón Percutaneous Aortic Valve Repair (PAVR) System, designed for use in beating heart, interventional, and surgical aortic valve procedures, incorporates the following device features:

- A soft tip for placement into the left ventricle and a balloon for occluding the LV outflow tract below the AV
- An expandable central lumen with temporary aortic valve, enabling beating heart aortic valve treatment
- Aortic isolation of treatment area using a compliant bell designed to conform to the shape of aortic valve cusps
- Balanced solution inflow and aspiration
- Coupling of gentle mechanical agitation and demineralization lavage (a low pH solution)
- Controlled pathways for simultaneous lavage of the AV, solution neutralization, and aspiration

Corazón's in-situ aortic valve (AV) treatment device​

 

[Jurassic Cowboy]

"low pH solution"

"low pH solution"

Jack et al:

Yes, I read that euphemism for acid with a smile from the links in your original post and the Corazon Tech. home page. Calcium phosphate in the mineral form of apatite is insoluble in water but soluble in all acids. The trick is, how acid (how low a pH) do you have to make the washing solution in order to dissolve the apatite without doing damage to the surrounding tissue.

An interesting side note is that most body fluids (blood in this case) are supersaturated with respect to calcium phosphate precipitation. Thus, when the body is working correctly, the mechanisms that prevent unwanted mineral precipitations, which also include kidney stones, must be pretty efficient. I guess that's what the tissue valve manufacturers are trying to mimic with their new treated valve tissues.

Jack, keep us posted on this technique if you hear/read anything else. Interesting stuff.

J. Cowboy

 

[Dirk]

I can add this link:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15311864&dopt=Abstract





Greetings

Dirk

 

[Dirk]

Does anybody know how to download the demonstration videos AND save them on hard disk?

Greetings

Dirk

 

[bvdr]

Very interesting! Maybe by the time my aortic valve needs to be done something like this will be in full swing.

 

[epstns]

Wow! The wonders of technology, even if it IS still experimental.

Things like this give some patients hope that when their surgery time comes, there will be new options and better recoveries.

Thanks for posting -- I for one will be watching for more info on the process.