Manama, Feb3 (BNA) Two groundbreaking surgical operations were successfully conducted yesterday at the (BDF) Hospital Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Cardiac Centre. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) operations are the first ever in Bahrain.

The trailblazing surgeries consolidate Bahrain’s status among advanced nations, being one of the first countries to successfully integrate the minimally invasive surgical procedure. “The groundbreaking medical procedure is used to wedge a replacement valve into the aortic valve’s place”, B.D.F Hospital Cardiac Centre Chief Consultant Dr. Hosam Badran said.

In a statement to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), he said that the two patients are doing well in the aftermath of the successful TAVI surgeries. He pointed said that the cutting edge TAVI technology is best used for patients who can’t endure the standard valve replacement.

“The procedure is approved for people with symptomatic aortic stenosis who are considered a high risk patient for standard valve replacement surgery”, he said, also citing the elderly as well as patients suffering from kidney failure and lung fibrosis.

Dr. Badran said that fifteen to twenty transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) surgeries would be conducted this year at B.D.F Hospital Cardiac Centre. The Vascular Surgery clinic at the BDF hospital provides high quality and up to date care to patients inflicted with vascular diseases, in addition to conducting open and closed-heart surgeries.

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BNA 1938 GMT 2014/02/03