Follow Up on Freestyle Valves in Children

During the time between June 1998 and June 2006, the Medtronic Freestyle® porcine aortic root (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) was used for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract in children that underwent surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. These children were born with heart problems that made it difficult for blood to flow from the lower right chamber of the heart to the lungs where it would normally pick up oxygen to be used by the body. Consequently, these children required surgery to repair the valve and eliminate this restriction of blood flow to the lungs in order to preserve life. In this case, the Freestyle valve was used. It is a relatively new valve and it is not known how it functions and how it impacts overall heart function over a long period of time. We are requesting permission to recruit volunteers that have received the Freestyle valve for this purpose in order to determine its long term performance. Specifically, we are seeking volunteers that are willing to have an echocardiogram performed. It is through the evaluation of a recent echocardiogram, as it compares to previous echocardiograms performed on the same patient, that the usefulness of the Freestyle valve will be evaluated for its durability and its long term impact on heart function.