Advances in design principle and fluid dynamics of a flexible polymeric heart valve.

The three leaflet J-3 valve is manufactured in a medium open position with almost flat leaflets, whereby the stent is expanded by a cone shaped mold. After manufacturing, the dipcoated leaflets have stable closed and open positions. The transition succeeds with very low membrane stresses. Due to this design, the J-3 polymer valve showed superior hydrodynamic performance compared with commercial valves. In durability tests, prototypes have reached lifetimes up to 17 years. While animal tests are encouraging, they also reveal needed manufacturing improvements.