(Dubai) - With almost 40% of deaths in the Middle East attributed to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals (RB&HH) surgeon performed a simulation of the latest aortic valve surgery – the Ozaki procedure – available to those living in the region. The procedure, performed during Arab Health 2018 (29 January - 4 February) on the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) stand, highlighted the new and innovative technique that helps to reduce this distressing statistic.

Dr. Cesare Quarto, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at RB&HH Specialist Care executed the ground-breaking Japanese Ozaki procedure, originating from Japan, that enables surgeons to use heart tissue from an animal to reconstruct a damaged aortic valve, instead of replacing it entirely with a prosthetic implant. Due to the durability of this technique and its natural physiology it prevents calcification and it is longer lasting than replacing the valve entirely.

Depending on the patient's age, the reconstructed valve can last between eight to fifteen years. It is particularly beneficial for patients under the age of 65, for whom a valve replacement would commonly last no longer than eight years.

Up to 50% of people who die from CVDs in some Gulf countries die before the age of 65 due to poor diet, and lack of exercise. Using this new innovative procedure, RB&HH experts hope to revolutionise the way surgery is carried out for patients with life-threatening aortic heart valve disease. If left untreated a poorly-performing aortic valve can seriously reduce a patient’s quality of life and eventually lead to heart failure and death – there is a 60% chance of death for patients with a damaged aortic valve within in the first two years of the damage.

Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Specialist Care is the private arm of the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe.

 

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