The use of exogenous tissues to reconcile failing heart valves within humans presents the opportunity for the medical field to improve longevity and quality of life for patients. However, these unique therapeutic strategies, such as Medtronic’s Melody Valve or the Edwards Centera Valve, give rise to novel challenges for the medical field. When bacteria adhere to the exogenous heart valve and colonize, a systemic, often terminal, infection called infective endocarditis (IE) arises. IE primarily occurs due to bacterial adhesion of S aureus, S epidermidis, or S sanguinis. Various tissues used for heart valve replacement (porcine pericardium, bovine pericardium, and bovine jugular vein) each possess distinctive surface properties that affect their propensity towards bacterial adhesion. Half of the tissues tested were exposed to pressure crimping which aimed at mimicking the surgical stenting process while the other half was left uncrimped. Tissues were then exposed to the S aureus and S epidermidis under physiological conditions and adherent bacteria were quantified after enzymatic and mechanical removal. Qualitative observations were made by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Bacterial adhesion to heart valve biomaterials

2019 Spring National Meeting

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