一種整合了組織工程心臟瓣膜的新治療方法，顯著降低了瓣膜小葉鈣化的發生，這種鈣化是組織瓣膜退化的主要原因。

這種治療方法叫做ThermaFix（熱固定），是由生化學家Sophie Carpentier博士與她的丈夫Alain Carpentier教授共同研制開發的。Alain Carpentier教授是法國巴黎的歐洲喬治斯蓬皮杜醫院心臟血管外科主任。ThermaFix治療方法現在廣泛用于所有的Perimount Magna心臟瓣膜置換手術中，這種瓣膜是Edwards生命科學公司(Irvine, CA, USA)的產品。

Perimount Magna瓣膜是一種由牛心包膜制造的主動脈置換組織工程心臟瓣膜，專門設計用于是血流保持最佳狀態。該瓣膜可以容易地放置在患者原來地瓣膜開口處，使得外科醫生能夠植入比其它傳統組織工程瓣膜更大地瓣膜。外科醫生通常更加喜歡使用能夠保持患者血流狀態處于最佳狀態地瓣膜，而根據2004年9月份《循環》期刊的報道，Perimount瓣膜閥門能夠提供更大的瓣膜開放面積從而使得血流容易通過。

美國俄勒岡州普羅維登斯心臟與血管研究院醫學主任Albert Starr醫生指出：“盡管數十年來已經證實心包瓣膜十分可靠，但是從它誕生開始，如何減輕組織工程瓣膜小葉鈣化一直是研究和開發的核心問題。通過聯合使用改進血流動力學特性的Perimount Magna瓣膜以及使用ThermaFix熱固定方法，Edwards公司給患者提供了科技目前所能達到的最好工藝，從而提高了患者的信心。”
 
Heart Valve Incorporates Tissue Treatment
 
A new treatment process incorporated into tissue heart valves significantly reduces leaflet calcification, one of the primary causes of tissue valve deterioration.

The process, called ThermaFix, was co-developed by biochemist Sophie Carpentier, Ph.D., and her husband, Prof. Alain Carpentier, chairman of the department of cardiovascular surgery at the Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou in Paris (France). The ThermaFix process is now available on all the Perimount Magna replacement tissue heart valves of Edwards Life Sciences (Irvine, CA, USA).

The Perimount Magna valve, an aortic replacement tissue heart valve constructed of bovine pericardium, is designed specifically to optimize blood flow. It facilitates placement above the patient’s native valve opening, which may allow surgeons to implant a valve that is larger than other conventional tissue valves. Surgeons generally prefer valves that can provide optimal blood flow for their patients, and the Perimount valve line has been shown to provide greater valve opening areas to facilitate blood flow, according to an article in the September 2004 issue of Circulation.

“Although pericardial valves have demonstrated decades of reliable performance, mitigating the calcification of a tissue valve’s leaflets has been a focus of research and development since their introduction,” noted Albert Starr, M.D., medical director of the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute (Oregon). “By coupling the Perimount Magna valve’s improved hemodynamic performance with the ThermaFix process, Edwards is providing patients with the confidence that they are getting the best technology there is to offer.”