Pediheart: Pediatric Cardiology Today

This week we review a recent report of a new technique to implant SAPIEN valves for transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement in which 1-3 stents are implanted simultaneously with the SAPIEN valve. What are the potential benefits or disadvantages of this approach and who might be a better candidate for this method? Why is a stent needed outside of the relatively strong SAPIEN prosthesis and how does the team in San Diego choose bare metal vs. covered stents when performing this procedure? We speak with pediatric interventional cardiologist Dr. Jessica Heibel of Pediatrix in San Antonio, Texas about a recent work she co-authored with the team at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, California. Dr. Heibel reviews many of the finer points of transcatheter valve implantation this week. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100553