News
Double milestone for heart team at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital
Jul 15, 2020
The ‘heart team’ at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital (SCUPH) has performed its 100th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedure, within 12 months of launching the potentially life-saving treatment.
TAVI is an innovative, minimally invasive alternative to open heart surgery for patients suffering from aortic stenosis. During the operation, doctors gain access through the femoral artery in the groin to replace the narrowing valve with an artificial valve.
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 such as the elderly or those with co-morbidities.
Cardiologist Dr Peter Larsen said 102 patients had been treated in the first 12 months at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital.
“In the past year, our data shows approximately one in four TAVI patients were able to leave hospital the following morning, the average length of stay in hospital was three days, and the average stay in the intensive care unit was 20 hours,” Dr Larsen said. “We even treated one patient aged 96 years.”
The TAVI program involves close collaboration between the patients, their GP and the ‘heart team’, with every patient reviewed by a multidisciplinary team.
This streamlined model of care in the one location aims to reduce anxiety and stress for patients and their families, removing the need for them to travel beyond the Sunshine Coast for this procedure.
About Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital’s cardiac service:
SCUPH has the Sunshine Coast’s only comprehensive cardiac service, with onsite cardiac surgery and heart specialists providing 24/7 integrated cardiac care.
The multidisciplinary TAVI team includes: