The cardiovascular team, composed of Dr. Omar Hamoui, Dr. Labib AbuDaher, Dr. Wael Jaroudi, and Dr. Omar Itani, at Clemenceau Medical Center successfully performed a life-saving and unprecedented heart procedure on a 92-year-old female patient on July 7th 2015. She is the oldest patient in Lebanon to have received a trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
The semi-invasive TAVI procedure uses the catheterization approach to replace a severely calcified or narrowed aortic valve, eliminating the need for open-heart surgery. For patients with conditions rendering them unable to undergo open-heart surgery TAVI is an effective alternative to replace the valve with proven survival benefit. It also improves the quality of life.
“Our 92-year-old patient had severe emphysematous lung disease and could not undergo surgery. Prior to her TAVI procedure she was getting hospitalized for pulmonary edema on an almost weekly basis and required powerful, dangerous medications,” said Dr. Omar Hamoui. “ After the TAVI procedure, she had a very good recovery, and was discharged home on day four. It has been more than two months since her discharge and she has not needed any additional hospitalizations. Her breathing is now normal.”
On a global scale, the TAVI procedure has proven to be an effective therapeutic alternative to conventional surgery in the treatment of severe aortic valve disease. Severe aortic stenosis is a critical condition that leads to heart failure and death if not treated. Most of the patients diagnosed with this ailment are elderly and often have comorbid conditions.
The cardiovascular team at CMC responsible for the unprecedented procedure on such an elderly patient is composed of an interventional cardiologist, a cardio-thoracic surgeon, an imaging cardiologist, a cardiac anesthesiologist, and cardiac nurses/ technicians.