FDA Approves First Heart Valve Designed to Grow with Children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the Autus Size-Adjustable Valve, a surgically implanted pulmonary heart valve for pediatric patients with congenital pulmonary valve disease. This innovative device may reduce the need for repeat open-heart surgeries in children with heart defects, reflecting the Trump Administration’s commitment to bringing breakthrough medical technologies to market as quickly and safely as possible.The Autus Size-Adjustable Valve is the first heart valve designed to be expanded after surgery to keep pace with a child’s growth, and the first valve approved in the U.S. to use polymeric material rather than animal-derived tissue for its inner flaps (called...