‘A new paradigm’ for St. Mary’s hospital
TAVI, minimally invasive heart procedure, introduced
KITCHENER — A life-saving minimally invasive heart procedure is finally available in Waterloo Region.
“We had a big patient need that was not being met locally,” said Dr. Jaffer Syed, an interventional cardiologist at St. Mary’s General Hospital.
Syed is the physician lead for the program he calls “a new paradigm for St. Mary’s,” with the first two procedures performed last week at the Kitchener hospital.
The procedure, called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), is for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at a higher risk for undergoing a valve replacement through open-heart surgery.
Until now, St. Mary’s was the only cardiac surgical centre in Ontario not offering the procedure. Patients, who are often elderly, would have to travel to London, Hamilton or Toronto for the procedure as well as assessments to see if they were eligible.
“They get in line, and there’s a long line,” Syed said.
Aortic stenosis is when the aorta — the main artery responsible for pumping blood through the body — becomes narrowed and doesn’t open properly. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting spells and the resulting fatigue can be debilitating.
“They just can’t do what they used to do,” Syed said.
There’s no medication to treat the progressive disease and previously open heart surgery was the only way to replace the failing valve. But for some patients that’s not possible because the risks are too high and recovery too difficult.
“For these folks before TAVI, there was no option,” Syed said.
The new procedure is far less traumatic. A balloon-expandable valve is passed through a small incision in the groin with a catheter, and into the heart where it is implanted over the diseased valve.
Patients are awake after being given only a moderate sedative and anesthesia, which allows for a faster recovery.
“Some people can go home the very next day,” Syed said.
And soon patients are feeling better, rather than having to face a lengthy hospital stay and recovery from open-heart surgery.
“They can tell you within hours that they feel different,” Syed said. “It’s pretty profound.”
The procedure has been around for about 15 years, but at the start patients were given a general anesthetic and a larger catheter was used requiring minor surgery at the incision site. St. Mary’s is able to incorporate the best, most current practices.
“The procedure has become even more refined,” Syed said.
Adolf Betke was at St. Mary’s on Thursday — the fourth person to have the procedure done there.
The 83-year-old Kitchener man was pleased when he was told it was an option, and that it could be performed at St. Mary’s where he has been receiving cardiac care.
“The recovery is what’s very appealing,” Betke said. “To have something like this is second to none.”
Far from being nervous, Betke said he was looking forward to the procedure and was confident it would alleviate the chest pain and shortness of breath he’s been experiencing.
“As long as I can drink beer afterwards, it’s OK.”