Our Objectives

Deliver a mitral-specific mechanical valve (Vortica) that restores physiological flow and supports better long-term outcomes.

VORTICA

Our Mission

To advance a next-generation mechanical mitral valve apparatus that restores physiological flow by replicating the native mitral apparatus and its unique role in left-ventricular energetics.

Our Core Objectives

  • Restore physiological flow through a D-shaped geometry that reproduces the native mitral valve’s asymmetry and annular orientation.
  • Re-establish left-ventricular vortex formation to optimize ejection efficiency and reduce stasis-related thrombotic potential.
  • Minimize turbulence and shear stress to lessen anticoagulation dependence.
  • Preserve ventricular mechanics and energetics to promote adaptive remodeling and long-term functional recovery.

The Science Behind the Design

The mitral valve is fundamentally distinct from the aortic valve. Its two asymmetric leaflets, together with the annulus and subvalvular apparatus, generate an organized intraventricular vortex — not as a by-product, but as a primary mechanism of energy conservation and ventricular filling-ejection coupling.

Conventional aortic-derived mitral prostheses disrupt this physiology, frequently reversing apical rotation and increasing intraventricular energy loss.

VORTICA is engineered to re-establish native vortex dynamics, restoring the heart’s intrinsic fluid-mechanical efficiency rather than compelling the ventricle to adapt to non-physiologic flow.

What the LV vortex does :

  • Rinses the endocardium, helping to prevent thrombus formation.
  • Increases cardiac output while minimizing energy consumption.
  • Promotes positive ventricular remodeling over time.

In pre-clinical computational models, VORTICA consistently reproduces native-like LV vortex patterns, whereas conventional circular valves fail to maintain comparable flow structures.