I love to see advances like this, where aortic heart valves can be replaced without traditional open heart surgery.
Granted, it's worth remembering the new valves have risks of their own. My hunch? Medtronic's CoreValve, discussed in this article, is like their Melody valve, in that it doesn't last very long. As such, they are in use for patients who can't handle the risks of a big surgery (i.e. usually very old) and, from what I've learned, as a stopgap for a young person whose body needs to mature before something permanent is put in place.
But medicine marches on! Thanks to the medical community for watching out for us.
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