23rd April 2026

CAV Heart surgery team implants Wales’ first Edwards Lifesciences Konect Resilia Aortic Valved Conduit

Professor Indu Deglurkar, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and her team at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in February 2026 performed the first Edwards Lifesciences Konect Resilia Bio-Bentall and ascending aortic replacement in Wales.

The aorta is the largest artery in the body and is attached to the heart. The Bentall procedure replaces faulty parts of the aorta, including the aortic root, aortic valve, and the ascending aorta.

In a biological/Bio-Bentall procedure, this uses replacement tissue from an animal, such as a pig, or a cow. Edwards Lifesciences have further developed bovine pericardial tissue into “Resilia” tissue, helping to protect and preserve the tissues and prolong the structural integrity of the valve post-surgery.

Patients who have diseases of the aortic valve in combination with an aneurysm (a bulging of the aorta) or have an aortic dissection are likely to require a biological valved conduit.

Younger patients, and people who want to pursue an active life without relying on blood thinners are the ideal candidates for this technology.

Approved for use in the UK in October 2025, the Resilia Konect is a pre-assembled Aortic Valved Conduit and reduces the complexity of the operation. Previously, surgeons have not had a pre-assembled option and would have had to manually assemble the conduit.

Short-term, the patient outcomes have been excellent with long-term outcomes to be reported upon in the future.

Following an excellent post-operative recovery, the patient was discharged after six days.

In the future, we hope to offer the Konect Resilia Bio-Bentall conduit to young patients who need aortic root replacements opting for a biological valve within Cardiff and the Vale. This will hopefully help to reduce the need for re-intervention with structural valve in the future.

Professor Deglukar, who performs a vast array of complex open-heart operations, said: “It is fantastic to have pre-assembled biological Aortic Root and Ascending Aortic conduit which simplifies the operative steps and the patient will hopefully benefit from excellent long-term results.

“The NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee approved my special funding request for this biological valved conduit. I hope it will be routinely available for young patients who require this complex operation.”

The Health Board is proud to be at the forefront of new and developing technologies and is excited to take part in the latest developments.