Groundbreaking procedure fixes leaking heart valve

Tygerberg Hospital doctors performed a groundbreaking procedure to repair a patient’s leaky heart valve last week, the hospital said.

Hospital spokeswoman Laticia Pienaar said the procedure, known as a Tootsie Roll technique, was performed on that type of prosthetic heart valve for the first time in the country.

The treatment took place on Wednesday last week.

This came after the patient, Nathan Yamey, 86, received a transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI), a minimally invasive heart valve replacement, last year.

“There was a large leakage of blood past the outside of the valve, which caused him to be very short of breath. After all conservative measures failed, it was decided to offer him a procedure where a small plug is placed in the hole next to the valve,” Ms Pienaar said in a statement.

She said the procedure was demanding and often not very successful, but a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology last month shed some light.

“Previously, I was always tired and had no energy. Today, I can feel the difference,” said Mr Yamey.

Treating cardiologist Dr Hellmuth Weich said: “This is the first case [in the country] where this type of technique was applied to this type of valve and the immediate result was a big success with the complete cessation of the leak.

“Although it is early days, we believe that the Tootsie Roll technique will provide better results for this type of problem and may become our preferred method,” he said.

Mr Yamey was discharged the following day.