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Surgical knives designed to cut heart-valve tissue. These knives are typically handheld, manual instruments with a flat, straight or curved, sharp metal (e.g., stainless steel) blade at the distal end. There is usually a handle that can be attached to the surgeon\'s finger. They are appropriate to perform resections in the heart valves. The blades may be an integral part of the knife or detachable (disposable). Heart-valve surgical knives are used mainly to relieve valve stenosis in valve repair procedures (i.e., commissurotomy); dedicated knives designed for a particular heart valve (e.g., mitral) are also available.
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