Tissue-based artificial heart valves

FIGURE 20.2 Two tissue-based artificial heart valves are shown above with a U.S. quarter dollar for size comparison. The valve on the far left is a porcine heart valve, while the other valve is constructed of bovine pericardium. Both valves are intended for aortic placement. 

However, in the last decade the main application of bacterial cellulose has been in the biomedical materials field [13,46,55-57], Due to its unique nanostructure and properties, microbial cellulose is a nattnal candidate for numerous medical and tissue-engineered apphcations. In fact, much work has already been focused on designing ideal biomedical devices from BNC, such as artificial skin, blood vessels, cornea, urethra, bone, cartilage, porcine knee menisci, and heart valve prosthesis as well as deliveries of drug, hormone and protein [58-62], Figure 2,5 illustrates some of the prospects for the various biomedical applications of BNC-based materials. 

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