Innovative Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve

The FDA on Monday approved the use of transcatheter pulmonary valve and the application system Melody, Medtronic, under a special exemption policy for limited-use devices. The Melody valve is implemented through a catheter, or tube, in a leg vein from where it is directed to the heart. The practice is intended for patients who have implanted pulmonary valve conduits that function poorly, which obstructs blood flow to the heart's right ventricle to the pulmonary artery that carries blood to the lungs.