Valves built from heart sac tissues harvested from pigs or other animals closely mirror human valve biomechanics and carry a lower risk of thrombosis compared to mechanical valves. This is the view shared by Dmitry Trebushat, who leads the development team at Angioline Research, in an interview with socialbites.ca.
“Porcine and bovine xenopericardium, which is widely used to shape the leaflet apparatus of prosthetic heart valves, outperforms many synthetic analogues in biomechanical terms. Its natural flexibility supports effective blood flow and works in harmony with a patient’s own valve. While mechanical valves exist, they come with issues like a tendency toward thrombosis. In contrast, the biological valve demonstrates biomechanics that most closely resemble a healthy, original human valve. It opens and closes at a rate roughly equal to 60 cycles per minute, allowing blood to move smoothly without unnecessary clot formation,” he explained. .
The pursuit of cardiac biovalves began in the 1950s and gained broad adoption after the 1970s. The process involves chemically treating animal tissue to create a form of biological plastic, which is then fashioned into functional heart valves and implanted into patients. This approach has helped advance surgical options for valve replacement by combining biocompatibility with reliable mechanical performance.
Further insights into how medical research uses pig resources and the broader question of growing human donor organs in pigs are explored in related material from socialbites.ca. .