fig1

Figure 1. A: ventricular view of the atrioventricular valved stent. It consists of a bovine pericardial valve of 27 mm diameter, a custom-made nitinol stent, and a ventricular fixation system consisting of the annular radial force of the nitinol stent and four tethers fixed at the apex; B: atrial view of the prototype valved stent^[3]; C: ventricular view of the new refined mitral valved stent; D: operative setting after ministernotomy (2 inches) with this valved stent and apex of the heart with purse-string sutures is exposed^[6]