ATS Medical??

[catwoman]

Anyone ever hear of ATS Medical (ATSI)?
My dad gave me a photocopy of an article in the April 12, 2004, BusinessWeek magazine about this company. Makes mechanical valves. Supposedly an up-and-coming company. Has about 10% of the world market. Article also said that St. Jude, which has almost 50% share, is focusing more on pacemakers.
Curious about the valves -- said to be "clinically superior."

 

[Ross]

Yeap. We've talked about them on occasion.

http://www.atsmedical.com/

 

[tobagotwo]

One could suspect that the ATS Open Pivot is of the same generation as the new St. Judes, the On-X, and the Sorin from Italy.

All are rated clinically superior to the previous generation, and focus on better fluid dynamics, less flow restriction, fewer stagnant/"dead" flow zones to reduce clotting, less blood damage, and non-slamming closure. There is some discussion that the improved characteristics may allow some users to eventually move to aspirin ACT, rather than Coumadin. There is even talk about a possible trial for the On-X with that in mind. However, as the stakes are very high for this kind of trials, I wonder if they'll get the volunteers, or if they'll even be allowed to try it.

 

[Mike From Michigan]

ATS Open Pivot

ATS Open Pivot

As a coincidence, the surgeon I met with a few days ago said they (Beaumont Hospital) now use the ATS Open Pivot mechanical valve instead of the St. Judes Regent because of the better hemodynamics with the ATS valve (better blood flow characteristics). I found this a bit surprising because this Dr. said they used the St. Judes for years but have found that they and their patients are happier with the ATS valve. Beaumont Hospital is one of the highest volume cardiac hospitals in the country so this was a big endorsement for ATS valve. Also interesting, when I mentioned the On-X valve to this surgeon, he said he does not like it at all and would never use it (and that ended the conversation on the On-X)...

I checked the ATS Web site and as an engineer I think their design has a lot of merit and makes a lot of sense as they eliminated the recessed cavities inherent with the conventional cavity (internal) pivots, like on the St. Judes. These recessed cavities can cause blood to collect and possibly clot, or the blood can be damaged as it flows against the cavity pivot. Of course the odds of this actually causing a problem if your INR is in line is very low, but I think it is another step forward in mechanical valve design.

I know the hope is to one day design a mechanical valve that will require the patient to take only a baby aspirin instead of Coumadin (or in a perfect world, nothing at all), but the problem is who wants to be the guinea pig to see if the 81 mg aspirin is sufficient? With the risk of a blood clot or stroke at stake, even if there is only a small risk for it, I would not want to be the one to take that chance (call me a wimp, but let other people be the heros! ). However I believe in technology and think they will get to that point in the next decade - it just takes years of clinical trials to get anything approved.

 

[Ross]

I wish he would have said why he dislikes On-X so much.

 

[tobagotwo]

Me, too. The On-X shows a lot of excellent engineering. Is there something that doc knows that we would want to understand, or is it a brand loyalty thing?

 

[catwoman]

Thanks for the info. I had tried to search out ATS Medical on vr.com, but I couldn't get it to pull up any info -- computer was reading ATS as ats and said it was too short.

 

[Mike From Michigan]

BTW, when the subject of tissue valves came up, this surgeon said he prefers the Medtronic Mosaic over the CE Perimount Magna (even w/ the thermofix treatment). His main reasons are that the Mosaic has a more natural leaflet shape (since it is a pig valve afterall) and that the life expectancy of the Mosaic is equal or better than the latest Magna - he quoted a projected figure of 80% still functioning after 20 years for the Mosiac (which is a somewhat better figure than I've read). Personally, I'm still not sure what way I am going - tissue or mechanical; I change my mind every hour (although Al's post yesterday on the study of risks of long term use of Coumadin vs. a 2nd AVR has me currently leaning in the tissue valve direction).

I'm sure all surgeons and hospitals have their biases based on experience (and perhaps even a little salesmanship) and this Dr. seemed to have strong preferences - the ATS for mechanical valves and the Mosaic for tissue valves. However, he did know his stuff about the intricacies of valve design (or seemed to as I am definitely not an expert) and also seemed to enjoy discussing them with a fellow geek (I'm an engineer). The funny thing was, the person w/ an appoinment right after me looked like a salesman - I noticed him right away in the waiting room. He had a huge briefcase, a power suit and was looking at some pamphlets he pulled out of his briefcase. I should have gotten a closer look to see what he was peddling - maybe he was from On-X...

 

[Ross]

Thanks for the info. I had tried to search out ATS Medical on vr.com, but I couldn't get it to pull up any info -- computer was reading ATS as ats and said it was too short.

In a case like that use a wild card to make it 4 characters such as Key Word(s): *ats

 

[tobagotwo]

Mike, I chose and have a Mosaic, and I've not read any 80% at 20 years extrapolation either. And the CEPM bovine already has that percentage profile, even before the latest improvements.

My belief, which may be flawed, is that the Mosaic's expected life should move from the 13-15 year bracket to 15-18 years with the improvements. The wild card here is the unpressured fixation process for the leaflets, which may wind up having a much bigger positive effect than I have surmised.

I'm very happy with my Mosaic, and the echo tech showed me its functioning on my recorded test. She said it was entirely indistinguishable from a normally functioning, original valve. To me, that's the Gold Standard. That's as good as it can get.

There are many threads on valve choice, including Newly Diagnosed and others. It's a tough decision, and each person must make it based on their own criteria, and their knowledge of themselves. Lots of folks here will volunteer answers to any questions you may have about either type.

Good luck with your choice,