Heart valve diseases are conditions that are frequently encountered and of vital importance, especially in line with changing living conditions. Surgeries performed for heart valve diseases can be quite risky in some cases and for some patients. In this regard, we can say that non-surgical heart valve replacement applications, developed for situations and people where surgery is risky, are a new era in the field of medicine.
In line with today's research and developed techniques, new and patient-friendly procedures have been introduced. Non-surgical heart valve replacement procedures performed with interventional methods appear as effective, successful and alternative applications for patients at risk of surgery.
Aortic valve replacement can be performed without surgery, with interventional methods known medically as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).
What is Non-Surgical Heart Valve Replacement?
Aortic stenosis; It is a narrowing or deterioration of the valve between the left ventricle of the heart, which pumps blood to the body, and the main artery of the aorta. As aortic stenosis progresses, the left ventricle of the heart is exposed to high pressure and the amount of blood pumped to the whole body decreases. The situation where the left heart is exposed to high pressure and the blood pumped to the body decreases as a result of aortic stenosis does not cause serious discomfort to the patient up to a certain point. However, with a significant decrease in the aortic valve; Complaints of shortness of breath that develop with exertion, chest pain caused by shortness of breath, and fainting in later cases occur. In the later stages of aortic stenosis, the patient also has a risk of sudden death. In this regard, the ability to treat patients with surgical problems with the TAVI method in cases of aortic stenosis is an important development.
TAVI is a procedure in which people with aortic valve disease who are not fit for surgery due to various reasons are treated with interventional methods.
TAVI is a procedure in which the heart is reached through the groin in the angiography laboratory and the valve is narrowed, without opening the chest or stopping the heart. It is the process of expanding the existing area. TAVI, which is a method generally applied to patients over the age of 80 and in whom open surgery cannot be performed, is performed in cases of aortic stenosis.
In Which Situations Is Non-Surgical Heart Valve Replacement Applied?
Aorta The aortic valve, where stenosis occurs, is the valve located at the mouth of the main vein that comes directly from the heart. With advancing age, calcification can be seen in the aortic valve and the valve cannot function properly and has difficulty opening and closing. In which patients should it be preferred?
-Advanced age,
-People with chronic health problems as well as heart disease,
-People and situations where general anesthesia is undesirable.
-In people whose general health condition is not suitable for surgery
Aortic valve stenosis, which occurs due to advanced age, is a critical factor in the recovery and recovery of patients after open heart surgery, where the healing process has certain difficulties for each patient. It can turn into a process where it is extremely difficult to return to normal life. In older aortic valve patients, the likelihood of lung infection after open heart surgery increases and the chance of recovery is very low. Since the chance of open surgery is lower in older patients than in younger patients, valve repair or replacement is performed invasively in these patients.
What are the Diagnostic Methods for Non-Surgical Heart Valve Replacement?
Aortic valve opening is 3-4 cm2 in a normal and healthy body functioning. In case of aortic stenosis, as a result of the valve opening falling below 1 cm2, the patient's complaints become evident and valve intervention becomes mandatory.
The diagnosis of aortic stenosis, which causes significant complaints when the aortic valve opening falls below a certain level and cannot perform its basic functions in a healthy way, is made by examination and echocardiography methods.
TAVI Treatment Method for Non-Surgical Heart Valve Replacement
If the stenosis in the aortic valve reaches a certain level, it is necessary to intervene in the valve. and serious life risks may arise. In patients of advanced age and with severe valve stenosis, necessary interventions on the aortic valve can be performed using non-surgical interventional methods.
TAVI; It is an interventional treatment method applied to patients who have aortic valve stenosis, who cannot undergo open heart surgery, or who have a high risk of surgery.
TAVI method is the process of replacing the aortic valve by entering through the groin vein without opening the patient's chest.
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