Treatment technique for patients with heart failure, mitral valve defects

A group of doctors from Upper Silesian Medical Center in the Polish city of Katowice on July 15 successfully performed a pioneering heart surgery.

New surgical techniques aim to treat patients with heart failure and mitral valve defects.

Photo: tuftsmedicalcenter.org

Doctors have put in place a special implant device without having to cut the heart muscle. The implant is made of medical silicone and placed directly on a beating heart around the heart.

Surgery is considered a great opportunity for patients with mitral reflux disease (MR) . MR disease affects millions of patients worldwide, patients with severe heart failure lead to death if not detected and treated early.

The new surgical method helps replace open-heart surgery, which is widely used today.

In open heart surgery, the surgeon cuts through the sternum, stops the heart, removes the broken heart valve and replaces the new heart valve.

The recovery time of patients with open heart surgery is usually 2-3 months, while new surgery is expected to shorten the procedure time as well as post-operative nursing time.