Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Calcification Of Bovine Pericardial Aortic Heart Valves, Asha Parekh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Heart valve disease is prevalent among Canadian population and worldwide; and for failing valves, the ultimate solution is valve replacement surgery. Bovine pericardial tissue is commonly used as a biomaterial to fabricate bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs), however calcification of the soft tissue is an ongoing concern for its long-term performance. Calcification ultimately results in device failure due to regurgitation, stenosis, or both, which is caused by stiffening, tearing and rupturing of the tissue valve leaflets. This project investigates parameters related to bovine pericardial heart valve calcification. Three in vitro methods of calcium quantification in soft tissue were assessed using bovine …