Specialists implant aortic valves through a catheter in a procedure known as TAVI. This method is often the only way to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of patients, most of whom are elderly, who may be at very high risk of open heart surgery. At the University of Debrecen Clinical Centre for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, such procedures have been performed since 2013, with an increasing number of procedures being performed each year. Considering the technical difficulty and effectiveness of the procedures, the clinic is at the forefront of TAVI both internationally and nationally.
Staff from the clinic demonstrated the procedure on Wednesday to participants at an international congress in India via live surgery.
- The catheter-based procedure broadcast on Wednesday does not pose any theoretical difficulties or specialities for us, as we have performed more than seven hundred and fifty such operations in total. However, in centres where TAVI implantation is performed and where there is little or no experience with this type of valve, or in centres where valve implantation is performed with a different technique, there is a great deal to learn from the presentation of a live case," said Attila Kertész, Assistant Professor and Specialist at the Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery at the DE Clinical Centre.
The valve implantation was performed by Attila Kertész and Bertalan Kracskó, two cardiologists from the Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, and the anaesthesia was performed by Ferenc Bodnár, a clinical specialist from the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. Géza Horváth, cardiologist, was involved in the mediation and presentation of patient data. The assistants were Ágnes Muri, Erzsébet Varga and Rita Kecskésné Sándor.
- Presenting our daily routine at a foreign congress in front of a large audience requires a highly experienced, well-knit team and the appropriate personnel and technical background, which is provided by the state-of-the-art hybrid laboratory. There are not many centres in the world from which live coverage is requested and provided. To be able to do this is a great honour and it is a part of our daily work.
Attila Kertész added: the team - which includes cardiac surgeons - performs interventions with maximum attention to patient safety, in accordance with the latest international practice, rethinking the usual techniques and with a continuous desire for improvement.
- From the moment of its design, an important aspect of the design of the hybrid laboratory was that the infrastructure, which meets all professional needs, should also ensure that the work carried out here can be presented, either locally or through online broadcasts, thus enhancing the visibility and recognition of the work of our clinic on the international stage. The experience gained in the one year since the inauguration confirms the correctness and feasibility of this concept," said Professor Zoltán Csanádi, Director of the Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery at the University of Debrecen Clinical Centre.
Since the inauguration of the hybrid laboratory in spring 2024, Wednesday was the third live TAVI intervention broadcast from the clinic.
Press Centre - CzA
