The National Heart Institute (IJN) is the first hospital in Asia to perform a new type of treatment for patients suffering from tricuspid regurgitation or leaky heart valves.
This treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that involves using a dry valve preloaded delivery system, called Tricvalve Transcatheter Bicaval Valves system (Bioprosthesis) or Tricvalve. The procedure was carried out at IJN on May 6 by its Heart Failure and Heart Transplant team and Cardiology Department.
The Breakthrough Device Designation for Tricvalve and the bioprosthesis is used for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (leaky valves) with high risk for open-heart surgery.
Tricuspid valve regurgitation is a condition where the leaflets of the tricuspid valve are unable to close properly, causing backflow of blood (or regurgitation) into the heart’s upper right chamber, and in severe cases into the cava which if untreated, the condition can lead to heart failure.
Symptoms include fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms, shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs and abdomen. However, these signs often do not develop until the condition becomes severe.
According to IJN’s Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Consultant Cardiologist Clinical Director Datuk Dr Azmee Mohd Ghazi, not all patients are able to withstand the risks of surgery or may have other conditions that make them unsuitable for certain procedures.
“For such cases, it is important that we are able to offer a new innovative treatment like Tricvalve️ to help more patients alleviate their symptoms and improve their quality of life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim, CEO and Senior Consultant Cardiologist at IJN, expressed his gratitude to the IJN team for seeking out newer and more innovative methods of treatment.
“It’s no secret that IJN’s success has been built on the willingness of its staff to keep learning, exploring for new innovative treatments that can enhance patients’ quality of life, and pushing the boundaries to be able to treat more patients who are deemed unsuitable for surgeries,” he said. — The Health
