The revolutionary Procedure that became the standard
In the early 90s Dr. Philipp Bonhoeffer, a pediatric cardiologist at the hospital Necker in Paris, had his initial idea: What if a pulmonary valve were implanted through catheterization instead of the then standard heart valve replacement by surgical sternotomy procedure? At the time, treating pulmonary blockages or leaks through open heart surgery was the standard, corrections to life-threatening conditions that also put significant stress on the body, required a long recuperation period, or further surgeries. Cardiovascular catheterization procedures were becoming more common as innovative and forward thinking device manufacturers, such as NuMED, were introducing minimally invasive cardiovascular devices. Though heart valve replacement was still then considered the domain of cardiovascular surgery, Dr. Bonhoeffer set out to test his idea of implanting a valved stent through catheterization. But first, the idea had to be tested, the technology created.
Partners in a vision
When Dr. Bonhoeffer approached NuMED, he was well familiar with the manufacturer’s commitment to innovative catheter design that decreased treatment risks and procedure time, increasing patient outcomes. Founded in 1984 by Allen Tower Sr., NuMED over the years
had developed a varied range of catheters in consultation with the expertise of doctors, and previously, with Dr, Bonhoeffer, had collaborated on a device for mitral stenosis. NuMED listened with interest as Dr. Bonhoffer explained his new idea of taking a bovine jugular vein, suturing it onto a CP stent, crimping it on a BIB balloon, then mounting the sutured valve on a 16F sheath, and delivering the valve to be deployed inside a native pulmonary valve. Allen Tower Sr., not one to shy away from a radical idea, agreed to work together to develop the prototype for the first percutaneously implanted heart valve.
