This valve was manufactured around 1966 by American Edwards Laboratories, a company founded by Dr. Albert Starr, MD (b. 1926) of Bellevue Hospital of Columbia University, and Lowell Edwards (1889-1982), a semi-retired engineer from the University of Oregon. The Starr-Edwards collaboration dates to 1958, when the two creators began to develop and build the first artificial heart. Starr did his residency at Johns Hopkins, where the famed Blalock and Taussig pioneering operation to treat children born with the heart malformation tetralogy of Fallot. While there Dr. Starr worked with Denton Cooley.

Although it is no longer in production, the Starr–Edwards valve has successfully replaced hundreds of thousands of heart valves in the past 50 years of its use. We report on the case of a valve in the aortic position still functioning 49 years after implantation without replacement, showcasing the valve’s durability.

We acquired a significant collection from a thoracic surgeon and professor’s research library and is now part of a private study collection.

see video clip below of them in action.