Researchers develop breakthrough design that vastly improves mechanical heart valve ANI | Updated: Jan 26, 2021 15:41 IST Kelowna [Canada], January 26 (ANI): A team of researchers at UBCO's Heart Valve Performance Lab (HVPL) has developed a way to improve overall blood flow through the valves, so the design of mechanical heart valves will more closely match the real thing. The new research coming out of UBC's Okanagan campus may take the current 'gold standard' for heart valves to a new level of reliability. "Despite more than 40 years of research, we are still chasing the goal of creating mechanical heart valves that perform consistently and seamlessly inside the human body," explains Dr Hadi Mohammadi, an associate professor at the School of Engineering and lead researcher for the HVPL. "The way blood travels through the body is very unique to a person's physiology, so a 'one-size fits all' valve has always been a real challenge."