A
Adam 12-21-05
This is a pretty neat, new approach to AVR. If you would like to see the pictures, there is a link at the bottom of the post:
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery (Aortic Valve Replacement) Uses Cathether -Patient Returns Home After Two Days In Hospital
A pioneering heart operation using non-invasive keyhole surgery to replace a faulty heart valve has given a 89-year-old woman a new lease of life after minimally invasive valve surgery.
The procedure, carried out at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, is the first to be performed in Britain ? although a small number have been carried out in Europe and Canada.
Dr Jan Kovac, a consultant cardiologist, yesterday performed the valve replacement on Gladys Adams, who was not suitable for open heart surgery.
The procedure means that the chest does not have to be opened as it does for open heart surgery and makes treatment possible for thousands more patients who would not be suitable for a full, complex operation.
The procedure, percutaneous aortic valve replacement, has been developed out of balloon angioplasty, used to clear blocked heart arteries.
It is carried out in a catheter laboratory by a cardiologist rather than a surgeon. In addition it would cut the hospital stay from a week or more to as little as two days.
"We're very pleased the first operation has gone well. Gladys is now recovering in hospital," Dr Kovac said.
"In the past, patients had to endure open heart surgery and would have been in hospital for at least a week. This new catheter treatment is much quicker and in most cases patients will be back home within a few days of having the operation.
"This technique is the biggest invention in cardiology over the last 30 years since the introduction of the coronary angioplasty," he said
Before her operation, Mrs Adams, from Wigston, Leics, said she had come to the end of the road. "I feel lucky to be able to have this operation, but I'm a bit nervous. All I want is to get out and about again. I want to drive the car and see my two sisters. I always cook Sunday lunch for about 10 of the family," she said.
Faulty valves are a common heart condition causing a range of symptoms including breathlessness, angina, collapse and sudden death. In the elderly, valves can become leaky, affecting the flow and exchange of blood in the heart.
About 3,400 aortic valve replacements are carried out in Britain each year using conventional surgery and about 6,000 valve replacements overall.
A catheter is passed through a small incision in the groin through the femoral artery to the heart, at the top of the left ventricle at the site of the aortic valve.
The catheter carries a balloon and a collapsible stent (a supporting mesh) which has the new heart valve inside it.
On reaching the valve, the balloon is inflated to clear it and the stent put in place where it, and the new valve, are expanded. The stent then holds the new valve in the correct position.
Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director of the foundation, said: "We're very pleased to see this technology now being used more widely in the UK to treat elderly people with life-threatening aortic heart valve disease."
Keyhole Aortic Valve Replacement - Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Pictures Here
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery (Aortic Valve Replacement) Uses Cathether -Patient Returns Home After Two Days In Hospital
A pioneering heart operation using non-invasive keyhole surgery to replace a faulty heart valve has given a 89-year-old woman a new lease of life after minimally invasive valve surgery.
The procedure, carried out at the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, is the first to be performed in Britain ? although a small number have been carried out in Europe and Canada.
Dr Jan Kovac, a consultant cardiologist, yesterday performed the valve replacement on Gladys Adams, who was not suitable for open heart surgery.
The procedure means that the chest does not have to be opened as it does for open heart surgery and makes treatment possible for thousands more patients who would not be suitable for a full, complex operation.
The procedure, percutaneous aortic valve replacement, has been developed out of balloon angioplasty, used to clear blocked heart arteries.
It is carried out in a catheter laboratory by a cardiologist rather than a surgeon. In addition it would cut the hospital stay from a week or more to as little as two days.
"We're very pleased the first operation has gone well. Gladys is now recovering in hospital," Dr Kovac said.
"In the past, patients had to endure open heart surgery and would have been in hospital for at least a week. This new catheter treatment is much quicker and in most cases patients will be back home within a few days of having the operation.
"This technique is the biggest invention in cardiology over the last 30 years since the introduction of the coronary angioplasty," he said
Before her operation, Mrs Adams, from Wigston, Leics, said she had come to the end of the road. "I feel lucky to be able to have this operation, but I'm a bit nervous. All I want is to get out and about again. I want to drive the car and see my two sisters. I always cook Sunday lunch for about 10 of the family," she said.
Faulty valves are a common heart condition causing a range of symptoms including breathlessness, angina, collapse and sudden death. In the elderly, valves can become leaky, affecting the flow and exchange of blood in the heart.
About 3,400 aortic valve replacements are carried out in Britain each year using conventional surgery and about 6,000 valve replacements overall.
A catheter is passed through a small incision in the groin through the femoral artery to the heart, at the top of the left ventricle at the site of the aortic valve.
The catheter carries a balloon and a collapsible stent (a supporting mesh) which has the new heart valve inside it.
On reaching the valve, the balloon is inflated to clear it and the stent put in place where it, and the new valve, are expanded. The stent then holds the new valve in the correct position.
Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director of the foundation, said: "We're very pleased to see this technology now being used more widely in the UK to treat elderly people with life-threatening aortic heart valve disease."
Keyhole Aortic Valve Replacement - Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery Pictures Here
