- This technique inserts a new heart valve by means of a minimally invasive procedure without the need to stop the heart
Introducing a new heart valve inside another damaged valve, through a peripheral artery, is now possible thanks to the minimally invasive TAVI technique, whose practice has made Hospiten Rambla University Hospital a center of reference in the field within the scope of private and concerted healthcare.
Dr. Manuel Vargas Torres, specialist in Interventional Cardiology, explains that the method is carried out "by means of a minimally invasive process, which avoids opening up the sternum and the need for major surgeries".
Advantages of the TAVI method
"The main advantage is that the inherent risks of an operating room are avoided", says Dr. Vargas, since we have gone from "from stopping the heart and opening up the patient's chest to inserting a valve, while the heart is beating, through a peripheral line like the femoral artery and two or three days later, the patient is back home”.
“We know the size of the valve and the dimensions of the femoral it will pass through to reach its final location. The complications that may arise are therefore minimal and we are prepared to contain them should they appear, because everything is very measured and planned down to the last detail”.
Hospiten Rambla University Hospital is the ideal place for this procedure "because it is a center where cardiac surgery can be performed on the spot in the case of a complication".
The implantation of heart valves using the TAVI method is carried out on practically a monthly basis and, in fact, the demand for this type of intervention increases every year by "between 10 and 15%".
Patient Selection
Dr. Manuel Vargas states that this type of technique is especially indicated “for patients who are above the threshold of 80 years of age but may also benefit those over 70. This means that before long there will be very few surgical interventions of this type in octogenarians”.
The process is so minimally invasive and straightforward that it takes very little to complete the procedure. “The best thing is that, in just an hour, the new valve is implanted in the patient. In total, it takes no more than two hours from the time the patient leaves the hospital room until they return”, says the cardiologist.