APAC Insider Issue 3 2018

APAC / Issue 3 2018 7 Company: Perth Cardiovascular Institute Contact: Kate Robertson Address: 115 Monash Ave, Nedlands, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia Phone: 0061 8 6314 6993 Email: HeartStructure@ perthcardio.com.au Website: www.heartstructureclinic.com.au In Safe Hands g ensuring blood flows around your body in one direction. With aging, and sometimes other diseases, the aortic valve leaflets can become thickened and infiltrated with calcium, causing them not to open wide when the heart pumps. This disease is called aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis restricts the flow of blood and forces the heart to pump harder, putting a stress on the heart and eventually leading to very debilitating symptoms which can include shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue and dizziness. Moreover, aortic stenosis is the most common degenerative disease affecting the human heart valves. However, it is also commonly missed, especially in elderly patients, because the early symptoms are attributed to old age. It leads to death within two years, unless the valve is replaced. Although the idea of a TAVI may worry some people, the procedure is considered to be uncomplicated and takes around an hour if performed by an experienced operator. They can even be done under local anaesthesia, and most patients only need to stay in hospital for 1-3 days, without the need for strong blood thinners such as warfarin. During the TAVI procedure, a catheter is inserted through a small incision into an artery to deliver the replacement valve to your heart. The new valve is placed, then expanded to its full size and then begins to function immediately. Regarding the future of TAVI, the procedure represents one of the most exciting developments in interventional cardiology, offering a viable alternative to surgery in cases of severe aortic stenosis. Also, it heralds the start of other minimally invasive procedures to treat diseases in the other heart valves. Overall, the team at PCI believe that this additional procedure benefits the facility in a big way, both in the future and currently. They encourage those with any questions to find out more facts through their website, or to get in touch through the contact details that are supplied on their website. The future of PCI is in safe hands with the team in place, alongside Dr. Yong who is crucial to being able to offer this procedure.