Overview

• Researchers reported outcomes for 19 patients treated at Duke between April 2022 and December 2024, most younger than one year, with 11 to 153 weeks of follow-up.
• All transplanted valves maintained healthy function and demonstrated measurable growth, and no patient required reoperation for valve failure.
• One child discontinued anti-rejection medication because of an unrelated infection yet the transplanted valve continued to grow and function.
• The approach was applied across multiple congenital diagnoses, and investigators noted it typically uses less immunosuppression than a full heart transplant.
• An accompanying editorial urged coordinated, long-term data collection, as parallel efforts such as a lab-grown valve implant by GrOwnValve seek options that avoid immunosuppression.