Less Invasive Procedure Could Replace Open-Heart Surgery For Some Patients
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - New findings could spare tens of thousands of patients from having open-heart surgery. Two clinical trials found that a less invasive procedure for replacing a failing heart valve is as effective as, if not better than, open-heart surgery in low risk patients.
A 71-year-old from Arvada has experienced both.
"It was a very, a hard procedure," said Pete Makelky.
Makelky was referring to triple bypass surgery he had when he was 68.
"I was hospitalized for 10 days, off of work for four plus months," Makelky told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
In August 2018, Makelky needed his failing aortic valve replaced. He was sedated, but awake.
"I was hospitalized two days and, after a week, I was back to work," he explained.
Makelky had transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Through a small hole in the groin, the surgeon inserts a tube with the replacement valve threading it through the artery all the way to the heart. It is placed in the diseased valve and starts working immediately.
"You see immediate improvement in the blood pressure," said heart surgeon Dr. Michael Firstenberg, who did Makelky's TAVR procedure at The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA).
"It's revolutionized how we treat people like Peter," said Firstenberg.
But Firstenberg, Chief of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at TMCA, isn't convinced TAVR is for everyone.
"Just because the data shows that it's reasonable in somebody in their 70s and 80s, that doesn't necessarily mean that it could be applied to somebody in their 50s or 60s," he said.
Firstenberg pointed to medical developments in the past.
"There are many of them that have been very exciting that, a couple years down the road, have panned out to be quite disappointing," he warned.
"So far, it's worked for me," said Makelky.
And he hopes the valve keeps working for years to come.
The makers of TAVR valves, Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic, sponsored the clinical trials.
