Iowa Heart Center and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines recently completed their first implantations of a new minimally invasive heart valve system. Mercy Drs. Atul Chawla, David McAllister and Marnix Verhofste recently implanted in three patients the CoreValve Evolut R System, a valve system recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The device represents a big leap in catheter valve technology that will further revolutionize the treatment of patients with heart valve disease, McAllister said. The device is used for patients who are at high or extreme risk for open heart surgery. More than 200 Mercy patients participated in clinical trials that helped lead to the development and approval of the new device.