PFO closure animation

Dr. Robert J. Cubeddu is the Medical Director of the Structural and Adult Congenital Heart Intervention Program at Aventura Hospital, and he specializes in catheter-based technology to treat heart conditions. He and his team are performing some innovative procedures.
Until recently, patients with severe aortic stenosis (a narrowing of the aortic valve) had no alternative treatment to conventional open-heart surgery. Today, they may be good candidates for a minimally invasive transcatheter intervention. During this procedure, the diseased valve is replaced through a long hollow tube called a catheter. It is carefully advanced from the patient's groin, using a very small 1-cm incision to access the femoral artery that leads to the heart. This explains why the procedure is named "transcatheter valve implantation" or "TAVI." The artificial valve is mounted on a metal structure similar to a stent. The valve and "stent" are then compressed over the surface of a balloon catheter so it may be advanced through the catheter. The balloon is carefully positioned across the old diseased valve, and then inflated to deliver the new artificial valve. The balloon and catheter are then removed.
Another innovative use of the catheter technology is for the prevention of stroke. We have long known that atrial fibrillation (a common heart arrhythmia) increases the risk of stroke. This is due to the development of clots in the appendage of the left atrium. This also explains why patients with atrial fibrillation require the use of anticoagulation with Coumadin to prevent strokes, Dr. Cubeddu says. Recent studies have demonstrated that closing the left atrial appendage using a novel transcatheter plug may be as beneficial as Coumadin in preventing stroke. This important finding offers patients with atrial fibrillation and contraindication to Coumadin a new alternative for stroke prevention.
Catheter technology can help prevent stroke in another way. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small hole that is located in the atrial septum. It usually closes after birth, but when it doesn't, it can provide a pathway for blood clots to travel from the right to the left atrium and then to the brain. This may result in stroke. A PFO closure is a catheter-based procedure that closes the hole and significantly lowers the risk of stroke.
Usually these catheter-based procedures can be completed in less than two hours and may be performed under local anesthesia. The procedures are "typically well tolerated, associated with short hospital stay and uneventful recovery," says Dr. Cubeddu.
Will catheter-based technology completely replace open-heart surgery? "It is likely that with time transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) will be safe and effective for most patients with aortic valve stenosis," Dr. Cubeddu explains. "Currently, however, the technology may be considered for those patients with high surgical risk or in those considered inoperable."
To learn more about catheter-based procedures for cardiovascular treatment, visit http://aventura.floridaheartandvascul... or call 786-428-1059. Serving Aventura and surrounding the Miami-Dade area, Dr. Cubeddu and his team are here to answer all your questions.