A surgical team at Royal Brompton Hospital successfully completed five ‘beating heart’ mitral valve repair operations in one week, using a pioneering treatment not offered anywhere else in England, Scotland or Wales.
The ‘NeoChord’ procedure means surgeons can repair a leaking mitral valve on a patient’s beating heart, avoiding the need for them to be put on a heart-lung bypass machine.
This makes the procedure suitable for patients with a high risk of developing complications, or who are too unwell to have their heart stopped and restarted with cardiopulmonary bypass.
The five patients were aged between 50 and 80, and included people with previous heart surgery, severely impaired lung function and / or severe calcification in the heart (where calcium deposits form around valves and arteries).
Ms Rashmi Yadav, the consultant cardiac surgeon who led the team performing the procedures, said: “As the procedure is significantly less invasive than conventional surgery, it offers a new treatment option to patients who may otherwise be denied surgery or who risk complications from the procedure. Patients can expect to go home within three to four days.
“Planning and teamwork are imperative for the success of these innovative procedures and the input of dedicated surgical, anaesthetic and operating theatre colleagues is absolutely critical, especially when working on new techniques. I feel extremely fortunate to have such a committed and talented team here at Royal Brompton.”
The team has welcomed visiting cardiac surgeons and cardiologists from other centres such as University Hospital Galway, Ireland, and King’s College Hospital, London, keen to learn about the procedure.
As the procedure is significantly less invasive than conventional surgery, it offers a new treatment option to patients who may otherwise be denied surgery or who risk complications from the procedure.
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