University Hospital Surgeons' Success!

At the beginning of August 2019, a team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons of the University Hospital performed a procedure of mitral valve replacement of the heart without opening the chest to the patient - i.e. using the percutaneous method. It was the first such procedure in our region and the fifth in Poland.

The team consisted of surgeons from the Department of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. It consisted of: Dr Jerzy Sacha, Dr Krzysztof Krawczyk, Dr Paweł Tomaszewski, Dr Jarosław Bugajski and Dr Radosław Gawroński.

The mitral valve is located in the middle of the heart and access to it is extremely difficult, hence the procedures of its replacement are performed with the opening of the chest.

For several months now, doctors from the Department of Cardiology, Dr Jerzy Sacha and Prof. Marek Gierlotka have been performing percutaneous repair of the mitral valve with the use of special clips, while the implant procedure of a completely new valve is a milestone in the treatment of this condition.

Currently, in the cardiological world, there are intensive works in progress to create methods and devices allowing for mitral valve replacement with minimally invasive methods, with access through veins in the groin - the procedure conducted at the UH in Opole is an example of such treatment. It places our centre in the first league of cardiological centres not only in Poland, but also in the international arena.

The patient who underwent the procedure feels very well; immediately afterwards she spoke about the improvement of her comfort.

This innovative and rare procedure was carried out mainly thanks to the great commitment of the surgeons themselves, but also thanks to the support of the Board of the UH in Opole and the Opole branch of the National Health Fund. This opens new prospects for the treatment of patients in the Opole region, as well as for the development of the Cardiology Clinic and the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the UH.