Tech Transfer: Prosthetic Valve to Treat Varicose Veins

Guest: Brian Jensen, PhD, Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Mike Alder, Director, Technology Transfer Office Have you considered why, when you stand or walk, the blood in your body doesn’t just go with gravity right down to your feet and stay there?  If that’s never occurred to you, it’s because you’re not one of the millions of Americans with a condition called chronic venous insufficiency. It turns out there are valves in our veins that keep blood from rushing to our feet. When those valves fail, the result can be spider veins, varicose veins or a host of painful and serious health problems.  BYU mechanical engineering professor Brian Jensen is developing a prosthetic valve that could be implanted in someone with chronic venous insufficiency.