LHSC first in province to implant Canadian-made heart valve device

Victoria Hospital, part of the London Health Sciences Centre, is seen in London, Ont. on Monday, March 31, 2014.

A 69 year-old heart surgery patient has recovered from what officials at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) are saying is an Ontario first.

The cardiac team implanted the Canadian-made Neovasc Tiara transcatheter device to correct a leaky mitral valve.

The surgery took place on Nov. 15, 2016.

Once inserted, the device sits where the valve is supposed to be and is aligned for the patient.

The procedure restores normal blood flow through the heart and the rest of the body and reduces leaks near the valve.

“Our cardiac team aims to adopt and utilize the latest proven minimally invasive trancatheter devices to offer our patients lifesaving treatment options otherwise inaccessible to them,” says Dr. Bob Kiaii, cardiac surgeon, LHSC in a news release.

Doctors say without surgery, patients with valvular heart disease suffer from shortness of breath, fatigue, with the possibilities of heart failure and death.