Fabrication and Evaluation of Nitinol Thin Film Heart Valves

Nickel–Titanium Alloy Laser Micromachining: A Review of Nitinol Laser Processes and Optimization for High‐Speed Laser Cutting

“…Many interesting medical device concepts are being put forth to exploit the unique mechanical behavior of Nitinol. New and emerging technologies are making their way to market, such as self-regulating temperature actuated switches to control the heating of cardiovascular stents, [35,36] shape-memory exoskeletons for joint support, [37][38][39] active compression bracing aiding with rehabilitation, [40,41] self-expanding drug eluding stents, [42,43] temperature responsive drug delivery through the shape-memory effect, [44] selfexpanding electrodes for precise tumor removal, [45] pseudoelastic heart valves, [46,47] and patient specific cardiovascular stent geometries. [48] These new and innovative approaches to conquer biomedical engineering obstacles would not have been possible without the implementation of Nitinol as a critical aspect of the design.…”

Smart materials in cardiovascular implants: Shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers

“…68 Various research groups are designing transcatheter valves with thin film Nitinol leaflets, however, most of the studies are being performed in vitro or are still in the preclinical phase. [69][70][71] The valve developed by Loger et al have undergone testing of its hydrodynamic properties in vitro. 71 The valve was shown to have high efficiency in systolic flow and proper overlap of the leaflets, but their opening behavior was not uniform.…”

“…[69][70][71] The valve developed by Loger et al have undergone testing of its hydrodynamic properties in vitro. 71 The valve was shown to have high efficiency in systolic flow and proper overlap of the leaflets, but their opening behavior was not uniform. 71 Stepan et al created a butterfly shaped valve with thin film Nitinol leaflets on a Teflon and Nitinol scaffold.…”

“…71 The valve was shown to have high efficiency in systolic flow and proper overlap of the leaflets, but their opening behavior was not uniform. 71 Stepan et al created a butterfly shaped valve with thin film Nitinol leaflets on a Teflon and Nitinol scaffold. 69 Their preliminary results demonstrated a similar flow rate and pressure traces to Edwards Perimount tissue valve in vitro and no damage to the Nitinol leaflets following one million cycles in a pulsatile pump.…”

“…Using thin film Nitinol as an alternative to bovine pericardium could achieve the longevity of surgical mechanical heart valves in transcatheter heart valves 68 . Various research groups are designing transcatheter valves with thin film Nitinol leaflets, however, most of the studies are being performed in vitro or are still in the preclinical phase 69‐71 . The valve developed by Loger et al have undergone testing of its hydrodynamic properties in vitro 71 .…”