Fixed, natural tissue SUITABLE TO IMPLANT IN A LIVING BODY AND METHOD FOR REDUCING mineralization fixed, natural tissue AFTER IMPLANT

摘要

Porcine valve cusp tissue and bovine pericardial tissue useful in the fabrication of prosethetic heart valves for implantation in humans, characterized, in the case of porcine valve cusp tissue, by having an average degree of calcification of less than 1.0 mu g Ca++/mg tissue after 8 weeks implantation in a Sprague-Dawley rat test. In the case of bovine pericardia tissue, average calcification is less than 2.5 microg. after 8 weeks. The fixed natural tissue intended for implantation in a living body is contacted with an aqueous solution of a water soluble salt of C7-18 alkyl sulfate, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate.