VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - According to a new report published by iData Research, despite advancements in design, the mechanical heart valve market continues to decline due to the general consensus among healthcare facilities and employees in Europe that tissue valves are superior. Mechanical heart valves, although durable, require the patient to take blood thinning medication, whereas tissue valve products do not have that requirement. Furthermore, tissue valves continue to improve and reach higher levels of durability thanks to advances in polymer coatings.
"The primary advantage of tissue valves over mechanical is that tissue valves are much more biocompatible," explains Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData. "A patient who receives a tissue valve does not require lifelong anticoagulation therapy due to the improved blood flow dynamics. This results in less red blood cell damage and less clot formation."
Other key findings from the 2014 edition of the iData Research report entitled European Markets for Cardiac Surgery and Heart Valve Devices:
Improved Durability
Tissue valves now last an average of 10 to 15 years. Many valves have been shown to remain functional for 20 years. Given that the largest patient demographic is the 65 and older age group, 10 to 15 years is often sufficient time for the implanted tissue valve to last the patient's life. With further improvements in durability, tissue valves will be indicated for progressively younger patients, expanding the eligible patient population and fueling growth of the market.
Stentless Tissue Valves
Stentless tissue valves are often preferred over stented ones. The advantage of a stentless valve is largely in the wider valve opening that allows blood to flow more freely, as it does with a normal, healthy valve. Special treatments for the tissue are meant to make these stentless valves more durable. As a result, long-term durability data will likely prove that stentless valves, on average, last longer and are more durable than their stented counterparts.
Edwards LifeSciences has been the leading competitor in the European tissue heart valve market. Their broad portfolio of tissue heart valves, as well as their strong brand recognition will help maintain their position as a top competitor in the market. Other leading competitors are Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and Sorin.
For Further Information
More on the European markets for cardiac surgery and heart valve devices can be found in the 2014 edition report published by iData entitled European Markets for Cardiac Surgery and Heart Valve Devices, which covers 15 countries in Europe, as well as market segments for the following: tissue heart valves, mechanical heart valves, annuloplasty repair, transcatheter mitral valve repair, transcatheter heart valve implantation, on-pump coronary artery bypass, off-pump coronary artery bypass, endoscopic vessel harvesting, anastomosis assist, cardiac ablation, transmyocardial revascularization, ventricular assist, intra-aortic balloon pumps, artificial hearts, patent foramen ovale, and atrial and ventricular septal devices.
Recent reports on the markets for cardiac surgery and heart valve devices cover the U.S. and 15 countries in Europe. Full reports provide a comprehensive analysis including units sold, procedure numbers, market value, forecasts, as well as detailed competitive market shares and analysis of major players' success strategies in each market and segment.
Register online or email us at info(at)idataresearch(dot)net for a European Markets for Cardiac Surgery and Heart Valve Devices report brochure and synopsis.
About iData Research
iData Research (http://www.idataresearch.com) is an international market research and consulting group focused on providing market intelligence for medical device and pharmaceutical companies. iData covers research in: Diabetes Drugs, Diabetes Devices, Pharmaceuticals, Anesthesiology, Wound Management, Orthopedics, Cardiovascular, Ophthalmics, Endoscopy, Gynecology, Urology and more.
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