The Ramsay Way 2019 | 03 11
CARDIOLOGY NEWS
milestones with TAVI procedure
TAVI heart treatment begins
at St George Private Hospital
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now on offer
to eligible patients at St George Private Hospital.
85-year-old Cornelis Witjes was one of the first people to undergo the
minimally-invasive heart procedure at St George Private Hospital.
The retired architect was diagnosed with a heart murmur when he was
45 years old, but it wasn’t until recently that he started to struggle with
physical activity.
His GP referred him to interventional cardiologist Dr James Roy for
management of aortic stenosis. Further testing revealed an additional
diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
Dr Roy said: “Cornelis was offered open heart surgery or the TAVI procedure
and he chose the latter non-invasive option. He was able to go home two days
after the operation.”
Dr Roy and fellow interventional cardiologist Dr Mark Sader completed the
first procedures together at St George Private Hospital, alongside anaesthetist
Dr Pamela Salerno and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Sheen Peeceeyen.
“This is a great milestone for the hospital and, more importantly, for patients
who are interested in exploring TAVI as a potential treatment option.”
“We are very lucky to have a dedicated team of very experienced and senior
cardiac nurses both assisting with the procedure and in-patient after care,”
Dr Roy said.
It is estimated St George Private Hospital will complete more than 50 TAVI
procedures each year.
John Flynn Private
Hospital achieves
100th TAVI
procedure
John Flynn Private Hospital has
reached a significant cardiac milestone,
completing its 100th transcatheter aortic
valve implantation (TAVI) procedure.
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.
John Flynn Private Hospital facilitates
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 have been equal to the national
average or even higher in terms of timeline to
procedure, outcomes and patient satisfaction,”
Ms Beattie said.
The medical team who performed the 100th TAVI
procedure was comprised of Dr Guy Wright-Smith,
Dr Shailesh Khatri and Dr Ben Anderson.