ABSTRACT
The first clinical use of a cardiac valvular prosthesis took place in 1952, when Dr. Charles Hufnagel implanted the first artificial caged ball valve for aortic insufficiency. The Plexiglas cage contained a ball occluder and was inserted into the descending aorta without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. It did not cure the underlying disease, but it did relieve regurgitation from the lower two-thirds of the body.
