TGH performs procedure with prosthetic valve instead of open-heart surgery

TGH performs procedure with prosthetic valve instead of open-heart surgery
Tampa General Hospital is breaking down medical barriers.

The hospital is the first and only hospital in the Southeast to complete a Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement with a prosthetic valve.

TGH is one of only five healthcare institutions in the country to offer AltaValve, a prosthetic valve created by a 3D printer. Doctors said AltaValve is a new player in the field and is an alternative option to open-heart surgery.

The device is another option for those experiencing heart problems.

In your heart, there are four valves, one of which is called the Mitral valve.

“The gateway from the upper chamber of the heart to the lower chamber of the heart, on the left side of the heart. That one becomes dysfunctional and often requires surgical intervention,” said Dr. Hiram Bezerra.

Dr. Bezerra is the Director of the Interventional Cardiology Center of Excellence at TGH and a professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

He was one of the doctors who performed the Transcatheter Mital Valve replacement.

Dr. Bezerra said with AltaValve, they have the option to replace the valve without having to cut the person’s chest open. He said the 3D device self-expands and is fully functional seconds after it’s inserted.

Patients start by getting a CAT scan.

“Based on that cat scan, the valve is tailored to the patient’s anatomy,” he said.

But this option is not available to everyone.

“This is only being offered these days to patients who are deemed high, or prohibitive risk for the conventional surgery,” said Dr. Bezerra.

This replacement is the only one to happen in the Southeast.

“By no means are we eliminating all the risk, but we are minimizing the risk by offering a less invasive procedure,” he said.

Dr. Bezerra said TGH is part of a study with the FDA that combines AltaValve technology with academics, research and clinical care to give patients the best possible outcome.

“As we accumulate experience, this will become a stand-off care procedure,” Dr. Bezerra said.

News Channel 8 tried to speak with the patient who had to procedure, but they were not available. Doctors said the surgery was successful and the patient was released from the hospital just after two days.