Sutureless and rapid deployment valves: implantation technique from A to Z—the INTUITY Elite valve

In the last two decades, sutureless (Perceval, Livanova PLC, London, UK) and rapid deployment (INTUITY Elite, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) valves were introduced to the market as an innovative alternative to traditional valves for patients needing aortic valve replacement (AVR). These devices have been used and studied extensively across these fifteen years, and have proven to be a valid alternative treatment option compared to sutured biological valves, particularly helpful in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and an almost curative treatment to patients with intermediate to high surgical risk, filling the gap between transcatheter and traditional AVR. However, both sutureless and rapid deployment valves require special steps for implantation, and also a learning curve. Proper specific training to all surgical team members is required as mandatory by the manufacturers. The aim of this review article is to provide cardiac surgeons with a thorough guide on the implantation technique from A to Z, for each of these two prosthetic devices. In this second part of our review article, we will focus on the INTUITY Elite valve.