In Vitro Self-Training in the Surgical Technique of Aortic Valve Repair and Reconstruction

A simple device for in vitro assessment of aortic surgery on an isolated heart or aortic root specimen is described. This device was designed as a simple tool to provide surgeons with immediate and direct visual feedback on the results of a procedure performed on the aortic valve in an isolated cardiac specimen. The objectives were to assess the duration of learning new aortic surgical procedures and to instill a greater sense of confidence to the surgeon prior to operating on a patient. Free-hand pericardial aortic valve reconstructions were performed on 9 pig hearts and 5 human homografts, which were tested with this device. In the pig, valve reconstruction was tested using the whole heart as well as the isolated aortic root. Detailed qualitative and quantitative assessments of the performance of the reconstructed aortic valve were possible using this device.