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pellicle

pellicle

Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Joined
Nov 4, 2012
Messages
13,086
Location
Queensland, OzTrayLeeYa
I was surprised to get a comment on my blog from a Dr. Didier Lapeyre.

I looked him up and found that he is developing a new mechanical heart valve. I thought some here would be interested in it, particularly because of some of the design objectives.

Valve design and Lapeyre Industries
Unfortunately, there has been little innovation in valve design in the last thirty years; until now. While the existing market has been dominated by Edward Lifesciences, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Sorin, which accounts for 95% of all valves, Dr. Lapeyre and Lapeyre Industries have quietly been working on a new valve to address these problems for over twenty years.

The new design by Lapeyre addresses the problems of both existing mechanical and tissue valves. While made of durable metallic materials, the innovative three leaflet design mimics both native and current tissue valves, resulting in less damage to platelets, less hemolysis or destruction of other blood components leading to a decreased incidence of thrombotic events. This means that patients can have durability without anti-coagulation, a monumental breakthrough for cardiac surgery.

When will this valve be commercially available?
Lapeyre industries has begun limited human trials earlier this year in India and Germany, and anticipates extending these trials to larger number of facilities in Europe by 2014. They hope to make the valve available on a large scale basis, starting in Europe in 2015. Until then, we eagerly await more news of their trials and the future of valve replacement.
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ref
 
This looks very promising and very exciting! Imagine...a mechanical valve without anti-coagulation requirements...sounds like the Holy Grail of heart valves to me:). Do keep us posted!
 
Thanks, pellicle. This may be of special interest to those of us who may yet have a re-op, and who might choose mechanical at that time. It certainly bears watching.
 
How to get in touch with Dr. Didier Lapeyre

How to get in touch with Dr. Didier Lapeyre

Hi Pellicle,

I was trying to find some more information about this on the web, but it seems scarce.

Do you know how to get in touch with Dr. Lapeyre ?
Thank you

tommyboy
 
Certainly DOES sound like the Holy Grail of mechanical valves. Perhaps now they should start thinking about making the parts that attach to the heart so that they can be reused -- why waste an expensive, fully functional mechanical valve when it can be repurposed for another family member (grandchild?) who has the same congenital valve issues (or something). I know that I'll get a lot of negative responses to this -- so at this point, consider this speculation to be sort of tongue in cheek.

No -- I don't want one of these valves. As long as my St Jude is still ticking along, I'm in no hurry to have a new surgery to replace a functional valve. HOWEVER -- if there comes a time when another valve fails, I would certainly consider one of these, when it becomes available.

Thanks for the teaser, Pellicle.
 
Here's the design / patent
http://www.google.com/patents/US20100131056

The owner is "LAPEYRE INDUSTRIES LLC, GEORGIA", for which I found an address:

Lapeyre Industries LLC
1201 W. Peachtree Street
C/o Alston & Bird
Atlanta, GA 30309

"C/o Alston & Bird"

According to Wikipedia Alston and Bird is a big law-firm

The address of their headquarters in Atlanta is the same as above:

One Atlantic Center
1201 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309-3424

T:404-881-7000
F:404-881-7777

I guess, contact details might be obtained from these guys, even if it's only the company's webpage.
 
Last edited:
Protimenow said:
Perhaps now they should start thinking about making the parts that attach to the heart so that they can be reused -- why waste an expensive, fully functional mechanical valve when it can be repurposed for another family member (grandchild?) who has the same congenital valve issues (or something).
Click to expand...

for some reason I just has this image of a group gathered at a Lawyers office and someone looking into a just opened small box ... at the reading of the will.

one of those Beetlejuice moments.

I know that I'll get a lot of negative responses to this -- so at this point, consider this speculation to be sort of tongue in cheek.
Click to expand...

hey.jpg


;)
 
Google tells us that he's had a school and a street named after him. You've got to admire a guy, who despite his achievements, doesn't go around blowing his own trumpet.
 
The fact that they use their attorneys' address as their official address tells me that there is not yet a physical business or facility in place. Maybe there will be, maybe not. It is possible that the "company" exists to sell the design to another company that will produce and distribute the product, or perhaps they will simply have some other company make it for them to sell. Many medical devices are developed in this manner. The company where I work makes the parts for one or two items that are designed and sold by "Company A" but are, in fact, made in our plant. This does not, in any manner, shed a negative light on the devices. It only indicates that it is common for the creative medical device companies to be able to market their devices while not having the physical presence (and the related large investment) of an office or factory. This is called "contract manufacturing." Our company name only appears in the purchasing records of the company that "owns" and sells the product.
 
Protimenow said:
Certainly DOES sound like the Holy Grail of mechanical valves. Perhaps now they should start thinking about making the parts that attach to the heart so that they can be reused -- why waste an expensive, fully functional mechanical valve when it can be repurposed for another family member (grandchild?) who has the same congenital valve issues (or something). I know that I'll get a lot of negative responses to this -- so at this point, consider this speculation to be sort of tongue in cheek.

No -- I don't want one of these valves. As long as my St Jude is still ticking along, I'm in no hurry to have a new surgery to replace a functional valve. HOWEVER -- if there comes a time when another valve fails, I would certainly consider one of these, when it becomes available.

Thanks for the teaser, Pellicle.
Click to expand...

I remember a case report some time ago about an Indian man(from India) who received an early St Jude mitral mechanical and then was lost to follow up . When he was finally located many years later he was doing fine working with elephants. He had never taken anticoagulants! I wonder how many of us valvers could get away with that!
 
Hi

Marty said:
I remember a case report some time ago... who received an early St Jude mitral mechanical and then was lost to follow up . When he was finally located many years later . He had never taken anticoagulants! I wonder how many of us valvers could get away with that!
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My guess is a percentage of us. The proact trial seemed to have a basis in similar reports from Africa. But if say only 15% died I wouldn't be gambling on being in the 85% ;-)
 
Marty said:
He had never taken anticoagulants! I wonder how many of us valvers could get away with that!
Click to expand...

For me, it was like playing "Russian roulette" with FIVE bullets in the cylinder.....been there, done that..... only one SHORT time....a long time ago......and LOST. The only upside to that episode was I learned not to play "fast and loose" with this simple little pill.....and NO problems since.
 
dick0236 said:
For me, it was like playing "Russian roulette" with FIVE bullets in the cylinder.....
Click to expand...
which reminds me, have you seen the movie 13?

now that's a tense movie.

Personally even with half a bullet in the chamber (statistically speaking) I'll take the pills too ...
 
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