From Italy [ 5 ] Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Editor’s Note:
Once again, just checking early morning news and chatter on Facebook, and another interesting video link rears it’s head. This video can be found below- or on the FB group Care of heart founded by Manoj Sharma an Indian perfusionist that I have interacted with occasionally online.
Now this video is in Italian- so if you have an ounce of Latin in your educational or cultural background- it is enjoyable to connect the roots and dots of roots to medical terms in our own language.
The animation is great and gave me a better understanding of Transcatheter Aortic Valve implantation (TAVI).
The Old Stuff…
And… The New Stuff …
The Video (In Italian)
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtuvRbsDFZA&feature=share]
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Salient Points …
The New England Journal of Medicine reported this month (2010) that, for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are not candidates for surgery, Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation (TAVI) using the Edwards SAPIEN valve significantly reduced mortality compared to standard treatment.
At one year, the rate of death from any cause was 30% with TAVI vs. 50.7% with standard treatment. However, this method had a higher incidence of strokes and major vascular complications compared to standard treatment.
The implantation procedure involves accessing a femoral artery, performing balloon valvuloplasty, then advancing the device across the native valve. During rapid right ventricular pacing, a balloon is inflated to deploy the valve and the frame.
Edwards is running another part of the trial comparing this valve with traditional open-heart aortic valve replacement.
Press release: The New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Transcatheter Heart Valve Trial Results
Abstract in NEJM: Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery
Related: Edwards Receives Approval to Begin U.S. Clinical Trial of Next-Generation Transcatheter Valve
Product page: Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve
