Breakthrough at the Montreal Heart Institute

[Smilemaker100]

I was watching the health report of the evening news and heard of a North American breakthrough.

In december 2005, a patient with a compromised pulmonary system was at high risk of having complications following a conventional valve replacent surgery at the Montreal Heart Institute. She underwent a pioneering operation of the aortic valve. This patient had a catheter introduced via the femoral artery and had an aortic valve replacement done non surgically. I believe the aortic valve was sewn into a stent.

What other cardiac procedures can be done non surgically?

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[Adcadet]

angioplasty, stending...baloon valvuloplasty/commissurotomy...annuloplasty...ASD or PFO closure ("Angel Wings")....RF ablation...atherectomy...septal ablation for HOCM...

Definitely a lot of cool things

 

[Smilemaker100]

angioplasty, stending...baloon valvuloplasty/commissurotomy...annuloplasty...ASD or PFO closure ("Angel Wings")....RF ablation...atherectomy...septal ablation for HOCM...

Definitely a lot of cool things

Thanks!

I have more details about the original post. The patient was unable to have open heart surgery because her lung capacity was about 25 % of normal. Her faulty aortic valve was replaced with a self-expanding implant or valve. The method is also known as a percutaneous cardiac catheterization and it can be done in a "cath lab" just like angioplasty and stenting. There have only been about 15 such procedures with self-expanding implant performed worldwide. It is still considered experimental and is only offered to inoperable or high risk patients.

Using a catheter, the valve prosthesis was inserted at an incision made in the femoral artery. Once it was threaded to the diseased area, teh casing around the valve was pulled away to allow the membrane to expand.