For the first time in Bahrain and the Middle East, a revolutionary new technology has been used to save the life of a patient with a critical heart condition.

Earlier this year, a Bahrain-based heart valve team led by cardiologist Dr Hussam Noor implanted an eagerly awaited and newly sized aortic valve into an elderly patient with aortic stenosis. This new heart valve technology is now being used by doctors in Bahrain and will address issues of aortic stenosis across the kingdom, said a statement from Medtronic.

The team involved in the procedure also included Dr Haitham Amin, Dr Sadanada, Dr Habib Al Tarief, Dr Leena Sulaibeekh, Dr Nezar BuKamal and Dr Mohd Amin.

Often affecting the elderly population, aortic stenosis is a common heart problem caused by a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve. When the valve narrows, the heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body.  Eventually, this causes the heart to weaken and function¬ poorly, which may lead to heart failure and increased risk for sudden cardiac death. Symptoms often include shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting.  

The patient, who was originally diagnosed with aortic stenosis in October 2016, suffered from severe chest pain and difficulty in breathing. He had to wait for few months for the new larger valve to be launched in Bahrain before undergoing the procedure, known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Previously, aortic valves available in Bahrain were too small to treat the 75-year old patient.

“Once the patient becomes symptomatic with aortic stenosis, treatment becomes critical,” Dr Husam Noor, head of the TAVI Team at Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre, explained. “This was a concerning time as the patient’s diseased valve was so big, we had to delay operating and wait for the larger valve to receive its official CE mark and be launched in Bahrain before operating.”

Earlier this year, the new 34 mm valve was launched by Medtronic in Bahrain. The valve currently stands as the largest valve available in the healthcare industry to treat severe aortic stenosis patients with large anatomies. As soon as it was available, the  diseased aortic heart valve was replaced with the new valve through a minimally invasive procedure, without the need for open-heart surgery.
Speaking on the impact this new valve will have, Dr Husam said: “Having this valve available means we can now treat more patients in Bahrain who have larger anatomies. Before this valve was launched, patients with larger anatomies would have had their condition either left untreated which often has fatal consequences or undergo high risk traditional surgical aortic heart valve replacement with its associated morbidity and mortality risks. This large valve segment is estimated to account for approximately a quarter of the eligible TAVI patient population which just shows how much it is needed.”

Medtronic’s CoreValve Evolut R 34 mm valve, the largest sized transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, is now available in Bahrain and will serve the local community and the surrounding region. - TradeArabia News Service