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Leaflet durability and costs restrict contemporary trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) largely to elderly patients in affluent countries. TAVR that are easily deployable, avoid secondary procedures and are also suitable for younger patients and non-calcific aortic regurgitation (AR) would significantly expand their global reach. Recognizing the reduced need for post-implantation pacemakers in balloon-expandable (BE) TAVR and the recent advances with potentially superior leaflet materials, a trans-catheter BE-system was developed that allows tactile, non-occlusive deployment without rapid pacing, direct attachment of both bioprosthetic and polymer leaflets onto a shape-stabilized scallop and anchorage achieved by plastic deformation even in the absence of calcification. Three sizes were developed from nickel-cobalt-chromium MP35N alloy tubes: Small/23 mm, Medium/26 mm and Large/29 mm. Crimp-diameters of valves with both bioprosthetic (sandwich-crosslinked decellularized pericardium) and polymer leaflets (triblock polyurethane combining siloxane and carbonate segments) match those of modern clinically used BE TAVR. Balloon expansion favors the wing-structures of the stent thereby creating supra-annular anchors whose diameter exceeds the outer diameter at the waist level by a quarter. In the pulse duplicator, polymer and bioprosthetic TAVR showed equivalent fluid dynamics with excellent EOA, pressure gradients and regurgitation volumes. Post-deployment fatigue resistance surpassed ISO requirements. The radial force of the helical deployment balloon at different filling pressures resulted in a fully developed anchorage profile of the valves from two thirds of their maximum deployment diameter onwards. By combining a unique balloon-expandable TAVR system that also caters for non-calcific AR with polymer leaflets, a powerful, potentially disruptive technology for heart valve disease has been incorporated into a TAVR that addresses global needs. While fulfilling key prerequisites for expanding the scope of TAVR to the vast number of patients of low- to middle income countries living with rheumatic heart disease the system may eventually also bring hope to patients of high-income countries presently excluded from TAVR for being too young.

AimTo report clinical follow-up at 6 months after implantation of the ultra-thin strut cobalt chromium SolarFlex stent in a real-world setting.Methods and resultsPatients (n = 240) with single or multiple vessel coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at four sites in Europe were enrolled in the SOLSTICE (SolarFlex Stent in Routine Clinical Practice) registry. Follow-up at 6 months was 100 %. Diabetes was present in 29 % of the patients, 30 % presented with acute myocardial infarction and 17 % had unstable angina. Of the patients, 27 % had previously undergone PCI or coronary artery bypass surgery. Lesion complexity was high (50 % B2 + C type lesions). Device success was achieved in 99.7 % of cases and the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate was 5.8 % at 6 months of follow-up. Target lesion revascularisation (TLR) was 5.0 % at 6 months.ConclusionsThe SOLSTICE registry showed that in a complex real-world setting the SolarFlex bare metal stent, with ultra-thin struts and customised scaffolding, provided low clinical MACE and TLR rates. These results provide support for the use of the latest generation bare metal stent in contemporary European practice.

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