A hospital in Bruges has become the first in Europe to implant a new tricuspid heart valve without performing open-heart surgery. The procedure was performed via the jugular vein, which carries less risk for patients and requires a shorter recovery.
The tricuspid valve is one of the four heart valves that ensure blood flows in the right direction. When it leaks, blood flows in the wrong direction, causing patients to experience severe shortness of breath and fluid build-up in the legs.
“For relatively young people, we consider performing open-heart surgery to repair or replace the valve,” says Dr Jan Van Der Heyden, a cardiologist at AZ Sint-Jan Brugge. “People who are a bit older or weaker due to lung or kidney issues cannot undergo open-heart surgery. It’s too risky.” These patients are given medication, which often provides insufficient relief.
For the aortic and mitral valves, there was already a way to avoid open-heart surgery, with a new valve being inserted through a thin tube. The tricuspid valve is known in the medical world as “the forgotten valve”, because that treatment option was lacking for it.
Thanks to further technological advancements, the tricuspid valve can now also be treated using the same technique.
“We inserted the new valve through a small incision in the jugular vein and positioned it precisely in the correct spot, entirely without open-heart surgery,” Van Der Heyden says.
The procedure is performed with only a small incision, without touching or damaging major structures in the heart. This also results in a shorter recovery period than traditional heart surgery.
The technique represents a breakthrough in medical imaging, too. “We can’t see through the body, so we need special ultrasound techniques for that,” says Van Der Heyden. “These are often complex, but now we can better visualise the right side of the heart, and specifically that tricuspid valve.”
The procedure in Bruges took place two weeks ago and the patient is doing well. It was the first time it has been carried out in Europe. American and Australian doctors who have already applied the technique were brought in to assist.