Abstract
Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD) occurs when
extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and calcium minerals hinder biomechanical
function of aortic valve leaflets causing increased myocardial stress that
could lead to heart failure. Approximately, 2.5 million people are affected
with CAVD, and clinical options are limited even though mechanistic studies
have identified potential therapeutic targets. Patients with CAVD are most
often discovered in irreversible late stages of remodeling, where valve
function is severely compromised and the only clinical intervention available
is aortic valve replacement. Early detection of aortic valve remodeling could
facilitate the utilization of non-invasive therapeutic strategies to target
cellular changes prior to irreversible gross remodeling. The second heart sound
(S2), composed of audible frequencies heard through a stethoscope,
predominantly occurs from the closure of the aortic valve where extracellular
matrix (ECM) components have been hypothesized to control vibrations within
aortic leaflets. FIU inventors are investigating a mechanism to identify
microstructural differences in early aortic valve remodeling by detecting
changes in the valvular acoustic frequency (S2 sound) response prior to
traditional symptom manifestation. Using heart sound recordings obtained from a
digital stethoscope, FIU inventors can analyze the frequency components of a
signal and relate them to stages of remodeling in the aortic valve.
Benefit
Detects and quantifies microstructural and functional differences in valve and cardiac disease using heart sounds.Provides a tool for detection of microstructural and functional differences in aortic valves of subjects having bicuspid aortic valves or suffering from early CAVD.
Market Application
Detection and quantification of microstructural and functional differences in valve and cardiac disease
Publications
S2 Heart Sound Detects Aortic Valve Calcification
Independent of Hemodynamic Changes in Mice
Brochure
