NMMC First to Use New Heart Valve

Drs. David Talton and Vishal Sachdev, cardiothoracic surgeons at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, recently became the first in Mississippi and Alabama to implant the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA transcatheter aortic heart valve.

The new generation SAPIEN valve has proven more durable because it combats the No. 1 cause of prosthetic valve failure—calcification. “This valve uses anti-calcification technology that will potentially allow the valve to last longer than anything we’ve had in the past,” Dr. Talton explains. “For this reason, it may also be a good option for younger patients.”

The new valve was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2022. The SAPIEN 3 valve uses the same RESILIA tissue that is used in the INSPIRIS aortic valve and MITRIS mitral valve—both of which cardiothoracic surgeons at NMMC were the first in Mississippi to implant. Because NMMC is such a large cardiovascular research center, our patients can get access to cutting edge, state-of-the-art medications and devices like these years before they would ordinarily become available.

For more information about the NMMC Heart and Vascular Institute, visit www.nmhs.net/heart-vascular or call 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375).