A medical milestone was achieved in Greece this week with the country’s first successful heart TAVI-in-TAVI procedure to treat a degenerated 31 mm CoreValve self-expanding aortic bioprosthesis that had been implanted 15 years ago.
TAVI stands for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation. It is a way to replace a heart valve without cutting the chest open. Instead, doctors thread a thin tube (catheter) through an artery in the leg up to the heart.
The procedure was performed at the 3rd University Cardiology Clinic of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) at Sotiria Hospital. Given the high risk of coronary artery obstruction, the medical team utilized the BASILICA technique to successfully implant a new 24.5 mm Myval valve.
Patient profile and clinical complexity
The patient, a 53-year-old male, presented a highly complex clinical history, including two prior thoracic surgeries and extensive thoracic radiation therapy due to a thymoma. He also suffered from familial hypercholesterolemia and coronary artery disease.
Seventeen years ago, after being deemed an inoperable candidate for traditional surgery, he underwent angioplasty of the left main coronary artery and the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Three months ago, he required another angioplasty on the LAD following an acute myocardial infarction.
Since then, he suffered from recurring pulmonary edema; due to his history, surgical intervention was not an option, making this highly demanding transcatheter approach the only viable path to treatment, resulting in an excellent outcome for the patient.
Pioneering heart procedure in Greece
The procedure was carried out at the Hemodynamic Laboratory of the 3rd University Cardiology Clinic under the direction of the Rector and Professor of Cardiology, Gerasimos Siasos. “The Medical School of the University of Athens is ranked among the top 100 medical schools globally, consistently achieving major international distinctions,” he said.
“This is yet another pioneering procedure by the interventional cardiologists of the Athens Medical School, confirming the high caliber of healthcare services provided to the National Health System. Procedures that were previously performed only at major international medical centers are now being carried out with great success in our own country,” Professor Siasos added.
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