Princess Alexandra Hospital has become the Queensland site for a multinational clinical trial for replacement of the mitral valve using keyhole as an alternative to open heart surgery.
The first two patients were treated using this conservative Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement technique in November 2024, marking the start of the research in Queensland that aims to increase keyhole options and reduce clinical risks for patients.
Associate Professor Anthony Camuglia said avoiding open heart surgery is the basis for most innovations in cardiac care as a means of reducing the risks to patients and improving their recovery time.
“There are multiple benefits for cardiac patients who need mitral valve replacement using an artery and a vein in their leg but the most important of these is avoiding the need to go on a heart lung machine, and the long recovery which comes with open heart surgery.
“Multiple cardiac conditions can now be managed using the transcatheter approach including unblocking arteries, aortic valve replacements and valve repairs,” he said. “These patients experience a much faster recovery from their procedure, less risks and less complications.”
While aortic valve replacements using catheter access are more common with the keyhole method adopted broadly decades ago, about 200-300 patients per year in Queensland require mitral valve replacement.
Dr Camuglia said that this method is a lifeline for some patients with severe disease of the mitral valve who have conditions that prevent them from safely having open heart surgery.
Barry Evans from New Beith (80) was one of these patients and as the first Queensland patient to undergo Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement at PA Hospital, he is testament to the value of a conservative option for multiple health conditions including prostate cancer, Crohn’s disease, and two heart conditions.
“I had a triple bypass in 1999 and I remember it vividly,” Barry said. “I don’t remember the heart attack, but I sure remember the three months of recovery where I couldn’t do anything - no work, couldn’t sleep – it was a hell-of-a long time.
“With this one, I was out of hospital on the third day with no pain in recovery. Being that bit older, there is more wear and tear on my heart with ongoing management to get my meds right, but the quicker recovery had way less impact on my life.”
PA Hospital is performing this leading work alongside other premier cardiac hospitals in Australia including The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney with the international trial running in North America, Europe and Australia.
“The success of the two procedures today was built on a collaborative team effort involving our dedicated and skilled nurses, technicians, cardiac physiologists, radiographers, cardiac surgeons, anaesthetists and cardiologists,” Dr Camuglia said.
The team of researchers implementing the program includes Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr Chris Cole, Cardiac Anaesthetist Dr Nathan James and Cardiologists Dr Yash Singbal, Dr Adrian Chong, Dr Reza Reyaldeen and Associate Professor Anthony Camuglia who praised the work of the PAH Heart Lung Research Centre, Heart Valve Nurse Co-ordinator Kellee Korver, research nurses Cindy Hall and Juan Xiou and Fellow Dr Christina Mew.