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As reported by an edwards lifesciences field clinical specialist, during implant of a 23mm sapien 3 ultra resilia valve in the aortic position, the commander delivery system balloon burst at initial inflation at nominal volume.The delivery system was removed successfully and there was no injury to the patient.There was no allegation of device malfunction by the physician.Per the physician, the perceived root cause of the balloon burst was the calcified sinotubular junction.
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A supplemental mdr is being submitted for correction and additional information based on the engineer evaluation.The following sections of this report have been updated: corrected h6 type of investigation, corrected h6 investigation findings, and corrected h6 investigation conclusions.The event reported is anticipated in the risk management documentation for transcatheter heart valve procedures.A previous investigation into this type of event is captured in an edwards lifesciences technical summary and applies to this complaint.Additional assessment of the failure mode is not required at this time.The device was not returned for evaluation.Due to the unavailability of the complaint device, engineering was unable to perform any visual inspection, functional testing, or dimensional analysis.Per the technical summary, the instructions for use (ifu), training manuals and current risk mitigations have been reviewed.No inadequacies have been identified with regards to warnings, contraindications, and the directions/conditions for the successful use of the device.Through extensive complaint investigations, balloon burst events during valve deployment have not been associated with device malfunctions or manufacturing nonconformances.Rather, the root cause for these events has historically been due to calcification in the landing zone or over-inflation of the balloon.The reported delivery system balloon burst was confirmed empirically.Available information suggests patient factors (calcification) likely contributed to the event as it was reported that the perceived root cause of the balloon burst was the calcified sinotubular junction.Additionally, the degree of calcium in the annulus/leaflets was reported to be "moderate." the presence of calcification can create a challenging anatomy for balloon inflation.While the balloons are sufficiently designed and tested to ensure the burst pressure is at or above the rated burst pressure, calcified nodules can compromise the structure of the balloon wall via following mechanisms such as puncture, local overstretching, open cell impingement, or stress concentration.Complaint histories for all reported events are reviewed against trending control limits on a monthly basis, and any excursions above the control limits are assessed and documented as part of this monthly review.Since no edwards product defects or labeling deficiencies were identified, no corrective or preventative action is required.
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