Bjork-Shiley heart valve, Björk-Shiley heart valve

[Viking Olov Björk, Swedish heart surgeon, 1918-2009; Donald Pearce Shiley, U.S. engineer, 1920-2010]
A synthetic artificial heart valve that is no longer commercially available but remains implanted in thousands of patients. The valve has been known to fracture at its struts during use, which results in death in the majority of cases.