According to St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC), people with severe aortic stenosis, a condition where the heart's aortic valve narrows and restricts blood flow, can already undergo a less invasive and faster procedure than traditional open-heart surgery.
The procedure, called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), is a minimally invasive treatment in which a diseased aortic valve is replaced with a bioprosthetic valve to restore proper blood flow. The new valve is inserted through a catheter, usually through the patient's groin or wrist, and the entire procedure may take less than an hour.
SLMC recently celebrated the completion of more than its 300th TAVR procedure, which was performed in 2012 by Dr. Fabio Enrique B. The process, led by Posas, is one of the first in the country since its inception.
“Unlike older surgical procedures, we do these with the beating heart,” Dr. Posas, head of SLMC's Center for Structural Heart and Vascular Interventions, told reporters on Wednesday. “In most cases, we do not use general anesthesia and there is no breathing tube.”
He added, “Generally, whenever we can, we perform the procedure without any cuts – what we call completely percutaneous.”
Dr. Posas said this approach makes TAVR less invasive and safer for high-risk patients, especially elderly individuals and those with multiple co-morbidities who have been diagnosed with aortic stenosis.
Mr Posas said SLMC has reported a success rate of about 97% for TAVR procedures, with a mortality rate of 1.67%, which usually involves patients who are already seriously ill.
Recovery after TAVR usually takes less than a week, although this can vary depending on the patient's condition.
Executive Edge, Inc. June Gill, 83, president of SLMC and SLMC's 300th TAVR patient, said she felt much better after undergoing the procedure and was discharged after six days.
“I already feel like a new person. I feel good. Now I don't have chest pain and I don't hear any murmur in my chest,” Mr Gill told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
While TAVR is less invasive than open-heart surgery, Dr. Posas clarified that it is not a complete replacement for open heart surgical valve repair, but rather an additional option for older and higher-risk patients.
Open-heart surgery may still be more suitable for younger and healthier patients, he said, because surgically implanted valves tend to last longer. TAVR valves may require repeat procedures after 15 to 20 years, he said.
SLMC said that in addition to TAVR and other minimally invasive treatments, it is also looking to expand its cardiac services through the integration of robot-assisted heart surgery. — Age Adrian A Eva