The Regent mechanical heart valve, a supra-annular valve, delivers exceptional hemodynamics and performance while also maintaining its long-term legacy for structural integrity and durability.
Exceptional Hemodynamics
The Regent mechanical valve features a low implant height and either flex or standard cuff options. It is also radiopaque for improved visualization during x-ray and fluoroscopy. Yet what particularly distinguishes the Regent valve are features such as:

Single-digit gradients, even in valve sizes as small as 19 mm1
85° leaflet opening angle offers improved laminar flow and reduces turbulance2-4
Typically larger effective orifice areas (EOA) than competitors’5,6
Rapid and significant reduction in left ventricular (LV) mass5
ROOT ENLARGEMENT VERY RARE (eg, 1%)5,7
AP2947043-WBO Rev. A
- St. Jude Medical. Pre-market approval application supplement, Regent heart valve, P810002/S57. Washington, D.C. 2002.
- Shipkowitz T, et al. Evaluation technique for bileaflet mechanical valves. J Heart Valve Dis. 2002;11(2):275-282. http://www.icr-heart.com/?cid=2902
- King M, David T, Fisher J. An initial parametric study on fluid flow through bileaflet mechanical heart valves using computational fluid dynamics. J Engineering Med. 1994;208(2):63-72. pih.sagepub.com/content/208/2/63.abstract
- Feng Z, Nakamura T, Fujimoto T, et al. In vitro investigation of opening behavior and hydrodynamics of bileaflet valves in the mitral position. Artificial Organs. 2002;26(1):32-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1594.2002.06833.x
- Bach DS, Sakwa MP, Goldbach M, et al. Hemodynamics and early clinical performance of the St. Jude Medical Regent mechanical aortic valve. Ann Thorac Surg. 2002;74(6):2003-2009. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12643387
- Pibarot P, Dumesnil JG. Hemodynamic and clinical impact of prosthesis-patient mismatch in the aortic valve position and its prevention. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36(4):1131-1141. doi.org/10.1016/s0735-1097(00)00859-7.
- Petracek MR. Assessing options for the small aortic root. J Heart Valve Dis. 2002;11(Suppl. 1):S50-S55.