YALE DEVICE PROTECTS THE BRAIN DURING HEART-VALVE PROCEDURE

Preliminary Findings in Multicenter Trial Show Positive Results for TriGuard

A multicenter trial of a device aimed at lowering the risk of stroke and cognitive impairment in heart-valve replacement patients has yielded positive results. The preliminary trial of the Yale-developed device known as TriGuard was conducted in medical centers in Europe and Israel and involved 83 patients. Although a minimally invasive procedure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) carries the risk of stroke due to the release of emboli, (material such as plaque) that find their way from the heart to the brain via the blood. In order to test the effectiveness of the new device, researchers conducted TAVR procedures both with and without TriGuard, a protective device that is placed in the aortic arch. TriGuard has a mesh filter that is placed over the three major cerebral blood vessels, that prevents emboli from escaping the aorta and making their way to the brain.

The initial findings of the DEFLECT III trial were presented by Dr. Alexandra Lansky to the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in California, US. “One of the major findings is, for the first time, we’re showing that with protection, 55% more patients have completely clean brains — with no ischemic brain lesions at all,” said Lansky. Brain lesions significantly increase the risk of stroke and dementia. The researchers were even more impressed with the neurocognitive findings. “Whether we’re looking at MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) or looking at short-term memory or delayed memory, we’re seeing an improvement in cognitive function as early as hospital discharge among protected patients, compared to controls,” she added.