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| Keyhole boost for heart patients | Keyhole boost for heart patients |
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| Frailer heart patients could benefit from an advance in keyhole surgery which has been carried out for the first time in the UK. | Frailer heart patients could benefit from an advance in keyhole surgery which has been carried out for the first time in the UK. |
| Surgeons at King's College London were able to insert a replacement valve directly into the heart, avoiding the dangers of lengthy open heart surgery. | Surgeons at King's College London were able to insert a replacement valve directly into the heart, avoiding the dangers of lengthy open heart surgery. |
| The new method means thousands more UK patients could receive operations each year, they said. | The new method means thousands more UK patients could receive operations each year, they said. |
| The British Heart Foundation described the development as "exciting". | The British Heart Foundation described the development as "exciting". |
| These new minimally-invasive procedures could potentially revolutionise treatment for patients who suffer from this condition Mr Olaf Wendler, Surgeon, King's College Hospital | These new minimally-invasive procedures could potentially revolutionise treatment for patients who suffer from this condition Mr Olaf Wendler, Surgeon, King's College Hospital |
| Aortic valve stenosis - a narrowing of a heart valve - is a common condition in older people, and approximately 18,000 each year undergo surgery to correct it. | Aortic valve stenosis - a narrowing of a heart valve - is a common condition in older people, and approximately 18,000 each year undergo surgery to correct it. |
| Until recent years, the only option was open heart surgery, in which the patient's chest is cut open, and a machine used to circulate the blood while the is heart stopped so that the new valve can be inserted. | Until recent years, the only option was open heart surgery, in which the patient's chest is cut open, and a machine used to circulate the blood while the is heart stopped so that the new valve can be inserted. |
| The serious nature of the operation meant that thousands of older or weaker patients were denied it, as doctors reckoned that they might not survive several hours under general anaesthetic, the operation itself, or its aftermath. | The serious nature of the operation meant that thousands of older or weaker patients were denied it, as doctors reckoned that they might not survive several hours under general anaesthetic, the operation itself, or its aftermath. |
| UK first | UK first |
| Earlier this year, a team at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester were the first in the UK to replace the valve using non-invasive surgery, with a tube carrying the new valve pushed into a major blood vessel - the femoral artery - near the groin, then following blood vessels all the way back into the heart. | |
| Keyhole surgery techniques are far more suitable for weaker patients, as they are far quicker, require less anaesthetic, do not leave a large wound and as a result, generally mean shorter recovery times in hospital. | Keyhole surgery techniques are far more suitable for weaker patients, as they are far quicker, require less anaesthetic, do not leave a large wound and as a result, generally mean shorter recovery times in hospital. |
| The latest technique does not use a tube inserted into a blood vessel at the groin, but points it directly at the bottom of the heart itself. | The latest technique does not use a tube inserted into a blood vessel at the groin, but points it directly at the bottom of the heart itself. |
| This has a significant advantage - many patients who have a narrowed heart valve also have narrowed arteries, which can make it difficult to insert the tube into the femoral artery - but the direct "transapical" approach means that even these patients should be able to benefit. | This has a significant advantage - many patients who have a narrowed heart valve also have narrowed arteries, which can make it difficult to insert the tube into the femoral artery - but the direct "transapical" approach means that even these patients should be able to benefit. |
| In a clinical trial, the Kings College Hospital team used it successfully on two patients who they described as "high risk" for open heart surgery. They also confirmed the success of the original femoral artery keyhole technique on another two patients. | In a clinical trial, the Kings College Hospital team used it successfully on two patients who they described as "high risk" for open heart surgery. They also confirmed the success of the original femoral artery keyhole technique on another two patients. |
| Mr Olaf Wendler, who helped perform the operations, said: "Thanks to these techniques, none of the four needed to be admitted to an intensive care unit after surgery, they all recovered without complications and were ready to be discharged home only a week after surgery. | Mr Olaf Wendler, who helped perform the operations, said: "Thanks to these techniques, none of the four needed to be admitted to an intensive care unit after surgery, they all recovered without complications and were ready to be discharged home only a week after surgery. |
| "These new minimally-invasive procedures could potentially revolutionise treatment for patients who suffer from this condition." | "These new minimally-invasive procedures could potentially revolutionise treatment for patients who suffer from this condition." |
| More operations | More operations |
| He estimated that approximately 4,000 to 5,000 extra patients could be eligible for heart valve replacement if the new procedure was used throughout the UK. | He estimated that approximately 4,000 to 5,000 extra patients could be eligible for heart valve replacement if the new procedure was used throughout the UK. |
| A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said that this was an "exciting clinical trial". | A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said that this was an "exciting clinical trial". |
| "The new procedure avoids open heart surgery and several hours under anaesthetic which is good news for many elderly heart patients who are often at higher risk when undergoing surgery." | "The new procedure avoids open heart surgery and several hours under anaesthetic which is good news for many elderly heart patients who are often at higher risk when undergoing surgery." |