Edwards Lifesciences announced new data from the COMMENCE clinical trial that demonstrate Edwards' bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve with the company's novel RESILIA tissue platform show favorable safety and hemodynamic performance through a median of five years follow-up. The data were presented at the 57th annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. There were no incidences of structural valve deterioration (SVD) at the five-year review mark, a key safety outcome. SVD can be caused by a buildup of calcium on the valve's tissue or by other damage that impacts long-term durability of the valve. RESILIA tissue is specially formulated using a proprietary integrity-preservation technology that may eliminate a key factor in calcification leading to valve deterioration. Current technologies utilizing this novel tissue include the INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve and the KONECT RESILIA aortic valved conduit, the first ready-to-implant solution for bio-Bentall procedures. In addition to its anti-calcification properties, RESILIA tissue also allows the valve to be stored under dry packaging conditions, facilitating ease of use in the operating room. The COMMENCE study is a prospective, non-randomized, multicenter, single-arm investigational device exemption (IDE) trial comprised of 689 patients at 27 clinical sites across the United States and Europe. The trial evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Edwards' RESILIA tissue aortic valve in patients ages 18 and older with diagnosed aortic valve disease and scheduled to undergo aortic valve replacement surgery. Data were collected for a total of five years and a subset of these patients will continue to be evaluated through 10 years. At this stage, the study has recorded data equivalent to 2,989 patient-years of follow-up.