Advances in heart disease intervention
DUBAI — Heart disease treatment in general has witnessed major advances particularly in the field of percutaneous intervention, said Dr Albert E Alahmar, consultant interventional cardiologist, Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Dubai.
“Structural heart disease is quite common and can affect all ages. Traditionally, most of these abnormalities were treated with open heart surgery. However, over the last decade, these treatment options have evolved to a keyhole and relatively small tubes (catheters) to deliver and deploy the relevant devices to the relevant chambers of the heart,” he said.
He said that the heart team and operators expertise are key part of the treatment process to guarantee all procedures are performed with high quality and safety and indeed to top standards.
Unblocking the coronary arteries and deploying stents in patients with angina or acute heart attack; closing holes in the heart (ASD/VSD) with special devices; replacing the narrowed or incompetent aortic valve and implanting devices in a small chamber of the heart (left atrial appendage) with irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrilation) for life are some of the surgeries that can be done through a keyhole incisions.
Structural heart disease is quite common and can affect all ages. traditionally, most of these abnormalities were treated with open heart surgery.” Dr Albert E Alahmar, consultant interventional cardiologist