[HSF] RE: MVR with a difference

[Tea Acuff]

sounds like an intimate detail
tea


----- Original Message ----
From: "hgrmd at aol.com" <hgrmd at aol.com>
To: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 8:07:45 AM
Subject: Re: [HSF] RE: MVR with a difference


Prasanna,

? It's not my intent or job to defend Edwards and the other valve companies for the prices they charge for their wares.? I've no idea what the labor costs are, nor have I counted the number of stitches on their valves.? I'm just saying it looked incredibly complex and precise, but still had a large human element in its manufacture.? I'm sure their margins are outlandish, though probably no worse than the profits made by the drug companies.? Thirty 20mg Lipitors cost $164 at a Walgreens in Broward County.



Hal


-----Original Message-----
From: psimha <prasannasimha at gmail.com>
To: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com
Sent: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 6:53 am
Subject: Re: [HSF] RE: MVR with a difference



Hal?
Let me assure you that the cost is not related to human labor. They have suture farms all around the world especially were labor is cheap (but that is another story).I know for sure that the cost of bioprosthesis like the Biocor is actually very cheap - remember the main source is offal !!These are collected (albeit in a sterile manner) from an abattoir and not from special "farms" (Though I think Dr Frater did mention problems wrt collection and orientation of his Encap pericardium)?
I really feel terrible sending even a young patient with a mechanical prosthesis to the hinterland 500 Kms away as getting even a reliable PT can be an issue there.?
I agree with the fact that the trans-apical delivery into an old bioprosthesis is a viable alternative in future. I believe the old sewing rim creates a stable landing zone.?
(1800 sutures seems far fetched even if there were 10 sutures to a millimetre (unlikely) we would have an 18 cm suture line. Now in an actual valve even if they were spaced a millimeter apart (that is still too close) -1.8 meters of suture line !! I think there would only be suture lines and no valve !! Edwards is trying to pull a fast one !! If I show you the "Pag lace" that Bojan sent to my wife that is "close" knitting. (Or Indian Muslin (Malmal) cloth from Calcutta /Dakka - a whole saree can be passed through a wedding ring and fits a match box !!!)?
Prasanna?
Hgrmd at aol.com wrote:?
> Prasanna,?
> The cost of the bioprostheses is an unfortunate factor. However, I know > it's what I would currently have implanted for me in the aortic position, > should I ever need that valve replaced (I'm 51). It's anticipated that when > those valves become senescent, they will be replaced transapically with a > catheter mounted bioprosthesis. Fred Mohr told me that this type of procedure for > this type of scenario was working well in Leipzig.?
> I suspect a lot of the cost is due to the intense human labor required to > manufacture these devices. I visited the Edwards plant a few months ago and > watched around 80 women stitching these valves together. Supposedly, each > one has around 1800 sutures done by hand.?
> > Hal?
>?
>?
>?
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