St. Jude Medical Inc. said Tuesday that a physician in Canada has implanted its new aortic heart valve called Portico in the first patient.
The valve is the first from the Little Canada-based company that can be implanted using a transcatheter, rather than through open-heart surgery. It is inserted through the femoral artery or through a small incision in the left ventricle of the heart, and is designed for patients who are high-risk or inoperable for the conventional surgery.
The operation was performed by Dr. John Webb, director of cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, B.C., the company said.
The valve, made of bovine tissue, is a new generation transcatheter valve, an advancement over competing versions, according to the company.
A European trial of the valve is expected to start later this year, the company said.
David Shaffer • 612-673-7090
