News
New milestone for heart procedure at John Flynn Private Hospital
Jul 12, 2019
John Flynn Private Hospital has reached a significant cardiac milestone, completing its 100th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure.
The TAVI procedure is a minimally-invasive alternative to open heart surgery for patients suffering from aortic stenosis. During the operation, doctors gain access through the femoral artery in the groin to replace the narrowing valve with an artificial valve.
Nurse Unit Manager Vanessa Beattie said: “The demand for the procedure has been growing since we started offering it three years ago - and we are so ecstatic to reach this milestone.”
The procedure usually requires a much shorter recovery time and can be performed when open heart surgery is not a viable option for high risk patients.
“The team has offered 100 patients and their families, the ability to live their lives free from the symptoms of Aortic Stenosis that have plagued them,” Ms Beattie said.
The John Flynn cardiovascular lab performs approximately six TAVI procedures each month and this figure is expected to increase in the near future.
A dedicated nurse co-ordinator has streamlined the program to enable the hospital to provide patients and their families with a better understanding of the procedure.
“Our results are equal to the national average or even higher in terms of timeline to procedure, outcomes and patient satisfaction,” Ms Beattie said.
The milestone team was made up of Dr Guy Wright-Smith, Dr Shailesh Khatri and Dr Ben Anderson.