German surgeons implant Transcatheter valves in patients

German surgeons implant Transcatheter valves in patientsThey have been successful in using transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in elderly high-risk patients, German surgeons have said.

The minimally invasive procedure was used as an alternative treatment option for patients who were at high surgical risk, say Doctors at the University Heart Center in Hamburg, Germany.

Dr. Moritz Seiffert and colleagues report on their experience with transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in five patients, mean age 82, with significant degeneration of 15.4 years after aortic and mitral valve replacement.

Seiffert says in a statement, "Transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation offers an alternative treatment option for elderly patients who have disproportional operative risks. The doctors highlight that reoperative valve surgery was not an option in these candidates and valve-in-valve implantation turned out to be a valuable bail-out procedure.

The journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions has published the findings. (With inputs from Agencies)