Taber-Cutter Heart Valve

Object Details

Cutter Laboratories, Inc.

Description

This is a non-tilting disc valve with pyrolytic disc, titanium guard, and four prongs on top and bottom. The tag attached reads "DEMO ONLY." The frame is made of titanium, a single piece to avoid weld marks, and takes an open strut design (to lower the incidence of thrombosis). There is an additional titanium ring guard attached to these struts that is covered in cloth. The sewing ring is made of Teflon and Dacron. The valve remains sealed in a plastic bag and comes in a clear and blue plastic container. The valve design adopts principles of the Smeloff-Cutter prosthesis by using a full-orifice. The largest size valve that was compatible with the tissue would be used to minimize ventricular obstruction. Another Taber-Cutter valve was tested (that did not have guard or pyrolytic disc) in calves and dogs and results show that the valve may be advantageous for those with stenosis of the mitral valve. As of 1970, the valve had been undergoing accelerated wear testing that equaled 2.5 years of clinical implantation. There was minimal wear and no evidence of cocking.

Dr. Rodman E. Taber completed medical school at the University of Iowa and afterwards served as a captain aboard a hospital ship in the Pacific during World War II. Following residency in thoracic and vascular surgery, he built a prototype heart lung machine, developed techniques used in freeze drying grafts used in vascular surgery and was instrumental in artificial heart valve design. He served as President of the Michigan Society of Thoracic Surgery.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

Gift of Manuel Villafaña

ca 1972

ID Number

2015.0031.49

catalog number

2015.0031.49

accession number

2015.0031

Object Name

cardiology

artificial heart valve

Physical Description

titanium (valve material)

teflon (valve material)

plastic (container material)

dacron (valve material)

pyrolytic carbon (valve material)

Measurements

container: 3.4 cm x 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm; 1 11/32 in x 2 5/32 in x 2 5/32 in

valve: 1.4 cm x 3.7 cm; 9/16 in x 1 15/32 in

place made

United States: Michigan

See more items in

Medicine and Science: Medicine

Artificial Heart Valves

Health & Medicine

National Museum of American History

Subject

Cardiology

Artificial Organs

Prosthesis

Record ID

nmah_1757002

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b2-9c52-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa