Mariam Noor, a Danish-Somalian PhD student of engineering at Aarhus University has invented a device that will be able to cure leaking human heart valves, a condition also known as aortic regurgitation or aortic insufficiency.
Marian is pursuing her PhD at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aarhus University and the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at Aarhus University Hospital. Over the past three years, she has been working on an elastic ring which is able to prevent blood from returning to the heart in a retrograde fashion. So far, animal testing has provided extremely positive results and has moved the invention closer to being released for use in the medical field.
Aortic insufficiency or aortic regurgitation is a heart condition that allows blood to flow backwards due to the aortic valve being unable to close. Some patients are born with the condition and others develop the disease during their lifetime. To remedy this problem, doctors would implant a prosthetic heart valve in a complicated procedure. But with this invention, the process will become less invasive and more flexible.
According to sources, Noor’s device is composed of an elastic material that has the ability to mould itself to tissue. For a number of years, cardiologists have often used rigid rings in order to stabilise the function of underperforming heart valves. However, the inflexible structure of such devices invariably limits their utility. As a result, Noor’s new device is said to be a game-changer in the world of heart valve treatment.
