80 year old man was dizzy, had difficulty breathing, fainted on the spot, doctor discovered aortic valve stenosis

SKĐS - Recently, doctors of the Adult Cardiology Department, Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital performed a transcutaneous aortic valve replacement for a patient (80 years old, in Duong Quan commune, Hai Phong).

The patient, Mr. D.TN, fell ill while playing chess. Accordingly, Mr. N experienced dizziness, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and fainting. His family took him to the emergency room at a hospital in Hai Phong . Through examination and ultrasound, the doctors discovered that he had aortic valve stenosis and transferred him to the emergency room at the Cardiovascular Center, Hospital E.

Dr. Nguyen The Huy - Deputy Head of the Department of Adult Cardiology said that the results of the patient's echocardiogram and MSCT scan showed that the patient's aortic valve was highly calcified and severely stenotic. The valve opening area, which is on average 3-4 cm2 in normal people, is now only about 0.5 - 0.8 cm2, indicating a dangerous level of stenosis, accompanied by typical symptoms of severe aortic valve stenosis, signaling a poor prognosis if not intervened promptly.

Dr. Phan Thao Nguyen - Deputy Director of Hospital E, in charge of operating the Cardiovascular Center, Head of the Department of Adult Cardiology examines patients.

"For elderly patients (80 years old) and those with underlying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the risks of performing traditional valve replacement surgery (open surgery) are very high. Therefore, after consultation, the doctors decided to choose the transcutaneous aortic valve replacement technique for the patient" - Dr. Nguyen The Huy said.

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The family was very worried because the patient was old and had many underlying diseases, so they did not know if he could endure a valve replacement surgery. However, after the doctors of the Adult Cardiology Department, Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital explained the patient's condition and the intervention plan using the less invasive, less risky transcutaneous aortic valve replacement technique, the family was very reassured and chose this intervention plan.

Dr. Nguyen The Huy said that compared to the traditional open surgery method, the patient must undergo a major surgery: prolonged anesthesia, opening the way through the chest wall, running an artificial heart-lung machine (ECMO), with a high level of invasion, high risk and prolonged recovery time, especially in the elderly. With the percutaneous aortic valve replacement technique, the patient will avoid major heart surgery (open surgery), helping the patient recover faster, reduce the time in hospital and reduce the risk of complications...

"The intervention lasted nearly two hours. The team performed an approach through the femoral artery, brought the artificial heart valve compressed in a catheter to the position of the narrowed aortic valve, then deployed the new valve. The artificial valve was released, pressed against the old valve and completely replaced the function of the diseased valve. Immediately after the procedure, the patient's hemodynamics stabilized. The next day, the patient was able to walk and do normal activities. Currently, the patient no longer has difficulty breathing, no more chest pain and is recovering well. After completing the electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and blood test, the patient is expected to be discharged after about 3 days of intervention" - Dr. Nguyen The Huy shared.

Dr. Phan Thao Nguyen - Deputy Director of E Hospital, in charge of the Cardiovascular Center, Head of the Adult Cardiology Department, said that TAVI is a new, modern, and minimally invasive treatment method. This method is especially suitable for elderly patients with many underlying diseases and high risks when undergoing open surgery.

"Based on the medical condition and physical condition of each patient, the doctor will prescribe the most appropriate intervention or surgery regimen and time. To successfully perform a transcutaneous aortic valve replacement, the decisive factor depends on the expertise of the surgeon, who must have many years of experience in cardiovascular intervention. Currently, the Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital is a complete cardiovascular facility including surgery, internal medicine treatment and cardiovascular intervention, anesthesia and resuscitation... with modern, synchronous equipment to ensure examination and treatment of heart, blood vessel and chest diseases for patients. Therefore, during the process of performing the transcutaneous aortic valve replacement intervention technique, there is a cardiovascular surgery team ready to respond to promptly handle any complications if any" - Dr. Phan Thao Nguyen said.

At the Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital, there have been more than 20 successful TAVI cases, mainly for elderly patients with many underlying diseases and at risk of complications when performing open surgery. Dr. Phan Thao Nguyen affirmed that the TAVI intervention cases at the Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital, all showed positive results, the patients recovered quickly and brought a better quality of life. This is an important step forward, opening up great hope for elderly cardiovascular patients who are facing dangerous aortic valve stenosis.

However, the high cost of performing a transcutaneous aortic valve replacement is a major barrier that limits the number of patients choosing this technique. Therefore, doctors recommend that the Social Insurance Agency consider including this technique in health insurance payments so that more and more patients can access and benefit from this advanced technique.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/cu-ong-80-tuoi-choang-kho-tho-ngat-tai-cho-bac-si-phat-hien-bi-hep-khit-van-dong-mach-chu-169251109201639308.htm